


Out of the Comfort Zone

by midorimortem



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slow Build, Sports, actually basketball with superpowers, i know close to nothing about sports so i'm just making everything up, sports anime hell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2018-11-29 08:39:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 66,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11437206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midorimortem/pseuds/midorimortem
Summary: Now that Takao has been appointed captain during his third year at Shuutoku, he’s challenged his teammates to find their true potential, so that they can take the golden trophy on their last high-school tournament.With full intention of helping Midorima become this season’s best player, while pushing him out of his well-constructed comfort zone, Kazunari notices one thing: there are infinite ways to fall in love with someone, and he’s willing to try everyone of them.The author is having a really bad time in her life, but she's not given up.Will eventually finish the story.





	1. Our Biggest Flaw

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Fuera de la Zona de Confort](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/305508) by Midori. 



> Original english version in Ao3. Spanish translation in FF.net
> 
> Written from Jan 2017 until ?
> 
> I planned to have the entire thing finished a month ago for MidoTaka day and I failed. Then I moved my deadline to Shin-chan's bday and I failed again. So I just decided to do the translation work in spanish and update the first chapter. Work's been killing me and I'm so tired... also, the more I read and proof this fic, the more it looks like prompts joint together by the idea of making Midorima suffer. Enjoy.

“Takao! From today on, you’ll be Shuutoku’s new captain.” Nakatani-sensei announced during their last day at the Winter Cup after Yuuya-senpai and the other upperclassmen had given their farewell speech. Another loss against Seirin got them out of the finals, but this time they had fallen to fourth place losing against Touou. For second year straight, their chances of being crowned champions was cut short, and this year Yosen took the lead, winning the gold thanks to Murasakibara and Himuro’s double ace strategy. They still had the upcoming Inter High and the last Winter Cup for their third year in High School to take the golden trophy home, perhaps even the Nationals, but it would be the last for the two of them. Takao felt pride building up in his chest as his senpai announced his promotion, as he had waited for this moment for such a long time. He’d no longer use the number 10 jersey next year. Number 4 was reserved for captains and he’d wear it proudly.

 

“Yes, sir!” Takao said, with tears still running down his cheeks out of frustration. Yet, the news made a few tears of joy sprout as well.

 

“Midorima, I hope you won’t give him too many headaches as vice captain.” From the corner of his tired and blurry eyes, Takao managed to see a smile creeping on Shin-chan’s face.

 

“I won’t, sir. Thank you.”

 

“Then, the third years and I will be retiring after tomorrow’s match. It’s all in your hands now. Remember you have to support yourselves with the second years and train hard with the newcomers in order to take Shuutoku to victory. It has eluded us for the past two years, but I’m completely sure our pride is in capable hands now.” Those words given by Yuuya-senpai made Takao nervous, but incredibly excited. 

 

“Remember,  _ Persistent and Tireless, _ that’s Shutoku’s spirit!”

Practice was about to begin and Takao was panting nervously with his eyes wide open. Midorima looked at him, worried and slightly amused, as if he expected his friend to implode at any moment. Concern even began to show on Tae-chan’s face, the moment their reliable manager noticed the captain had turned incredibly pale.

 

“Uhh… Takao-senpai, are you ok?” the second-year girl asked, poking him on the shoulder.

 

“YES! yes!” He managed to calm down and combed his hair back with his fingers before fixing it with a headband. 

 

“You’ve never been on a position of command, have you?” Midorima asked, throwing a towel at his head. “It’s not that hard, besides, you have Tae-san, the coach and me behind your back.”

 

“Shut up, Shin-chan!! You’ve never been captain either!” He snapped but received the towel gratefully as he wiped his sweat before going out to the court. He’d greet the first-years and he’d call on the regulars for their first practice match against Seirin in three weeks. He had to instruct everyone on their training regimes and watch over them, find their strengths and weaknesses as a team. Takao had a strange plan in mind he had scarcely talked about with Nakatani-sensei, and just barely mentioned it to Shin-chan before going on vacation break. He didn’t know if it’d work, but he might as well try. If his weird training project bear any results by their first official match, Takao would consider himself satisfied.

 

“You’ll do fine, Takao-senpai!” The younger girl said cheerfully, handing him a copy with every new member’s name written on it. He sighed. It was time to finally introduce himself to the newcomers and greet his old comrades, it was time to give their first steps into a new year of challenges for Shutoku’s basketball team.

 

The court was filled with the new members that had managed to incorporate themselves to the first string, thus becoming potential regulars for the team. As expected, most of them were second-year students and a few freshmen that had shown enough talent and heart to survive the two-week starting trials. Takao and Midorima were the only third years this time, and the only second-year student that had managed to join past year returned now as well. A young boy with auburn hair called Kyou Inazuma greeted them with a kind smile and stood besides Midorima when the coach announced his name to join the regulars again. Other underclassmen had been benched during the Inter High, but most of them were new faces Takao would have to memorize and greet individually as their training progressed. 

 

The coach introduced them as the captain and vice captain, after announcing the other two new members of the team. Another second year covered the small forward position, and a first year would be taking the power forward. For what Takao had read, that boy had a lot of potential, perhaps even as great as Midorima’s when he first came to Shuutoku. Handling a prodigy had become some sort of habit for him, but managing two of them at the time would definitely be an interesting challenge. The coach gave each member their training menu and the instructions for the first week of practice, and so, they set on to resume their training from where they left off before vacation.

 

As it had been a rule of thumb for the past year, Midorima and Takao usually practiced together, trying to hone their combined skills as much as possible. Their abilities both as individuals and as partners had given them a lot of advantages during their matches, but it wasn’t enough to bring the other members of the Generation of Miracles down. Even if Kagami’s attacks were brutal and Kuroko’s passing skills were beyond-human, their teamwork completely overpowered Shutoku’s own duo and their strategies: it wasn’t just individual power, it was the complex basketball they played based on combination of strengths. 

 

Against Touou, Aomine entering the Zone was the thing that caused their downfall, as he drained everyone’s stamina as they tried to block him and the rest of the team landed points while untargeted. Teamwork, resistance, individual skill, technique, there were many things that needed to be polished before the upcoming tournament. Takao was sure they’d make it this time, though. It was their last year. They had to.

 

“Guys, before you go home…” Takao asked everyone to stay a few minutes after practice was over. “I want to thank you all for your hard work. This year we’ll be taking the golden trophy with us, we’ll be champions and we’ll be unstoppable with our new recruits and our old members joining forces.”

 

Takao didn’t notice, but Midorima smiled as he listened the newly-appointed captain cheering up for their team with kind words. 

 

“We have strong players like Inazuma-kun, Shin-ch… I mean, Midorima, and myself, of course, but we’ve also got talented new players joining our ranks this year. I’m sure we’ll stride to victory this time. Now… there’s one thing I’ve been waiting to tell you, please sit down so I can explain, please.”

 

Midorima had heard many times before during the past month, while talking on the phone with Takao, about an evil master plan he had for this year’s training. Takao had been really excited about it and he kept pestering him about it for weeks, but he never said a thing about it. Midorima was sure it was going to be something stupid, something highly idealistic that would make Takao’s hopes crash and burn when they failed the first time. Yet, Yuuya-senpai and the other upperclassmen had given them such power. As every good vice captain,  Midorima could intervene, but he had to follow instructions. At least he could argue and negotiate with Takao, in given case his ideas were far too idiotic.

 

“The results from past years were good, but far from satisfying. I asked our manager to help us research which were our weakest points and which were our biggest flaws during our last matches and we noticed something in particular that I have an special interest in fixing.” Takao sighed and asked everyone to pick a partner that they trusted or they believed they might get along with, in case of the first years. 

 

“Our biggest flaw, ever since Midorima and I joined the team, was focusing solely on individual skill. We need to improve our teamwork while we’re still preserving our individuality, and that’s precisely what I’m aiming for. For the past year, we’ve noticed we manage to do a great work if we play in partnerships, polishing compound skills as a whole. There are multiple combinations in a team of five, but having a player supporting another at all times has shown us that it improves our general teamwork. That’s why I want you to try having training partners, switch around until you find someone who fits your type of basketball. Then, we’ll craft our team according to our necessities.” 

 

“Huh, that’s actually not a bad idea.” Midorima said, admitting it had been their training routine for the past year and a half and it had shown many good results.

 

“Yes, but I’m not finished. I have another proposal. We lack resistance, which is something we’ll improve with rough training. But we also lack patience, mental strength and, most of all… our team was incredibly predictable during the past tournament.” Takao lowered his eyes with a very uncharacteristic look on them: he looked disappointed. “We lack spontaneity, because all of our players were stuck inside their comfort zones for too long. We repeated our safe plays over and over again, and as such, the other teams were able to read us like a book. Our team needs fresh strategy, but it also needs people able to break away from routine and normalcy.”

 

The underclassmen spoke within themselves, some with excited faces, other with annoyance in their eyes. Takao knew not all of them were going to like the idea of having to put extra-effort into it, (Shin-chan possibly being one of them), but he knew the path he wanted to take his team across. They’d have to show him results, or they’d get kicked out of it as soon as they started to detriment the team. 

 

“It’s optional to join this task, by the way, unless the coach insist you must do it. If you accept it, I’ll ask you to report on your progress each week, to see if results are showing or not.” Takao explained, dismissing the underclassmen immediately afterwards. They all headed for the showers and a few of them discussed their ideas of his plan with Takao, mainly receiving a positive response.

 

“Good job on your first day.” Midorima said after coming out of the showers with just his pants on. He searched for a dry shirt on his locker and put it over his torso as soon as possible, as the weather was still cold and the breeze burned his skin. “I hope your training regime brings good results.”

 

“As upperclassmen, we’re going to have to give them the best example, Shin-chan!” Takao teased, returning to his goofy self. “Don’t think I’m going to let you get away from it.”

 

“I wasn’t expecting you to do so, of course.” Midorima fixed his glasses and sat on the wooden bench, waiting for Takao to finish. 

 

Since their last year, they had agreed not to take the cart anymore  after a minor incident with a red light Takao overlooked, but they’d usually bike home together. More than often, they’d end up on Midorima’s house doing homework or spending a lazy evening reading manga and play videogames with Takao’s sister at his house, they’d even go out for a match on the parking lot across Kazunari’s apartment. Takao had to admit he was grateful Shin-chan had opened a lot more to him during their second year and now he actually recognized him as his best friend. More than that, he had become really kind to him, in comparison to  the unsociable first-year boy that repelled Takao at all costs.

 

“That’s good… because I actually have to discuss something about it with you.” Takao sat besides him, crossing his legs over the bench. “We’ll be doing something slightly different than the rest of the team.”

 

“Didn’t you say we are supposed to give them an example?”

 

“Yes, but our trial will be quite harder, Shin-chan.” His tone changed again. Takao’s sight got lost in the ceiling as he leaned down on the bench, trying to find the best words to explain his plans to his friend. “My personal challenge is to make you the best player at the next Winter Cup, by the time we finish High School. Not one of Teiko’s former miracles, no. I’m going to make you the best player. ‘Shintaro Midorima of Shuutoku High, the best player of his generation, trained under his friend, coach and captain Kazunari Takao’, how does it sound, huh? ”

 

“That’s…” Midorima seemed to be repressing a series of insults, but he prefered to keep silent in front of his partner’s excitement.

 

“I’ve told you I want to study sports management in college, right? Well, at least that’s one of my options. If I manage to do this, I think I’d get accepted at any school I want, it’s no easy feat to make someone like you reach their perfect form. Perhaps even a scholarship might come…  I want you to shine to your true potential, which I believe you’ve not found yet.”

 

“Perhaps you’re overestimating me, Takao.” Shin-chan fixed his glasses again, acknowledging he had several flaws he considered impossible to patch.

 

“No, I know a prodigy when I see one, Shin-chan. I know for a fact that, a) you’re not using your whole potential, or b) you’re not even aware of it. We know all of your Teiko teammates have entered the Zone but…”

 

“I cannot enter the Zone.” He said with a severe voice and a frow. “I’m already at my full potential while---”

 

“You _ do not _ want to enter the Zone, it’s a completely different thing.” Takao shook his head and pointed violently at Midorima’s face with a decisive gesture. “I’ll prove to you that you can do wonders if you get out of that annoying comfort zone of yours! If you swallow your pride and you trust your teammates, you’ll become unstoppable. For that, unfortunately, I’ll need you to cooperate at 110%, Shin-chan!”

 

“Explain yourself. You’re not making sense.” Midorima scolded him with a frow.

 

“OK, this is my theory:” Takao took a deep breath before he started explaining, but his stare didn’t waver. “Your pride keeps you for achieving your true power. Your limits are not a physical barrier: as we’ve seen, you’ve pretty much mastered your technique, your special abilities and your body is reaching maturity. You can withstand an entire match using your full strenght. Your limits are here, Shin-chan!” 

 

Takao poked his forehead, which made Midorima’s frown deepen greatly, but Takao just laughed it off and ignored the angered stare directed at him. 

 

“If I take you out of your comfort zone, pushing you to do things you may consider embarrassing or impossible, I’m sure you’ll become the best player on the court by the end of the year.”

 

Midorima stared at him with confusion, but he had to agree Takao was determined to make it all work out in the end. He had very good arguments he had only fathomed in his mind every once in awhile. He hated to admit he was an incomplete player, thus he usually denied it and prided himself in his perfectly honed skills. Formless shots, dunking, passing tricks… there were many things he had no idea how to deal with that perhaps would make his play much stronger than he could ever imagine. He was trusting Takao blindly on this, but he was sure he had good reasons to propose a crazy plan like this. The green haired teen stretched out a hand, accepting Takao’s challenge.

 

“Promise me something, Kazu.” It was unusual for him to use that pet name when they were at school, where everyone could hear him. He only used it when they were alone, which only showed how close they had become. At times, it almost hurt him when Midorima was that kind to him.

 

_ If you only knew, Shin-chan _ . 

 

“You’ll catch up to me. We’ll be the best, together.  I need to have a worthy partner” Midorima said, that prideful and arrogant tone on his voice usually made Takao angry, yet, for the first time, it also made him incredibly happy. 

 

“Hah! You don’t sound like yourself, Shin-chan! Sure, you’ve got yourself a deal!” Takao shook his hand with a grin on his face. 

 

_...If you only knew why am I doing all of this… _


	2. To Cure a Phobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Takao sucks at 3P shots|| Stray cat gets adopted by dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so cramped with work these days and I get home quite late, so I guess I'm moving the publishing date to weekends instead of fridays. I usually have events during the evenings and I can't sit to translate, edit and proofread this crap until it's past 12 am and I need sleep.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy these doofs falling in love. Thanks for reading and leaving comments/kudos, you make my day!

“Everyone, please report your progress so far.” Takao asked during friday’s practice, right before they began doing partnership training. The first years were shy, but their attempts were honest and pure-hearted. They did some simple tasks like talking to upperclassmen or doing homework way before their deadlines. The second-years were slightly more daring, like playing other sports for fun and to learn different techniques that may be useful for playing basket. Takao took a mental note on that, believing it would be something really good to try one day.

“Tae-chan!” Takao raised his voice, startling the manager who was taking notes on her journal. “You’re also meant to participate! What’s been your progress so far?”

The girl opened her mouth in disbelief and fear, but Takao smiled back at her and insisted he was only teasing her.

“Don’t be mean, Takao-senpai… well, I’ve been helping someone who was part of our team a couple of years ago, Kimura-senpai. I’ve helped him on his training, in hopes he’ll be able to dunk now that he’s in his college’s basketball team,” she answered shyly, and Takao began to suspect about the manager’s relationship with their former vice captain. Surely Kimura-senpai had some interesting stories to tell about Captain Ootsubo’s little sister. “But we’ve not made much progress thus far,” she added with a nervous laugh.

“Oh, does manager Ootsubo also plays basket?!” a first year asked, astonished.

“Yes, she does.” Midorima answered, looking at her with a short smile. “She also has a perfect hook shoot, by the way.”

“Oh, just like my brother!” A second-year who managed to join the first string this season said. Takao stared at him intensely, believing he had probably seen those thick eyebrows somewhere in the past, but he couldn’t remember where. He still had a lot of trouble remembering their names.

“Captain… is it ok to ask what you’ve been doing? same goes for Midorima-senpai...” Arashiita, the promising first year asked.

“Sure, Arashi-kun.” Takao sighed, and showed him his notebook filled with training schedules for both the team and individual programs for him and Midorima. “I’m very bad at concentrating, I suck at doing homework and arranging projects, being captain is a first-timer for me so I have to get used to all of it. Besides, I took the personal challenge to train this guy over here to get him to the best of his abilities, which is no easy task.” He explained. Arashiita seemed satisfied with the answer and not bothered at all by Takao’s new pet name for him.

“What about you, Midorima-senpai?”

Shintaro uncovered both his wrists and one of his ankles and showed the underclassman a set of sport weights on each limb. He had never used this method, since he believed it would alter his technique greatly and it could also cause him a severe injury if something went wrong. However, this time Takao convinced him and explained him how the weights worked and they went to buy a pair together after they had accepted each other’s challenges the week before.

“I get it that everyone who made it into the first string is giving their best to keep up with this silly challenge of mine, good, good!” Takao acknowledged everyone’s effort and encouraged them to think of something interesting for their next week. Afterwards, he dismissed them and they all began training individually with their respective partners.

As per usual, he helped Midorima with his shots and practiced some of the most complicated passes he could manage without the pressure of being on a match. His favorite one was, of course, their Sky-Direct 3P Shot. For a year they’d been honing this shot coming from many other directions, not just the left side, as it had been completely predicted by Akashi two years ago. Coming from the right had not presented itself as a high difficulty, Midorima just had to train a lot harder on his right hand coordination in order to do so. But Takao had gotten the idea to do it from the top, or even shooting it as a hook from below to confuse their opponent. Of course, it was easier said than done, and it often ended in tragedy: Takao would end up hitting Shintaro hard on the head or the stomach with the ball by mistake. His shots were not bad, but his aim wasn’t precise in those cases where his target moved. Takao had mastered passing coming from the sides, but other than that, he had no idea how he’d manage those impossible passes, to land them delicately on his partner’s hands

“I have a proposal, I hope we can try it before you knock me out again.” Midorima said, passing the ball to him once more.

“I’m listening.”

“Let me teach you how to shoot three-pointers.” He asked after practicing for a second in what seemed to be a brief one-on-one. Takao looked surprised when his friend explained he believed it would help him improve his aiming. Never, in the two years they’d been partners, would he ever believe Midorima would offer himself to teach his special technique.

“I cannot do that! I suck at it!”- Takao had tried on multiple occasions, but his height was the biggest obstacle. His arms didn’t have enough strength to take the ball towards the basket from such a distance, either.

“You don’t want to try it, that’s a complete different thing.” Midorima almost quoted him word by word for the things he had told him a week before. “We’ll have to adapt it to your abilities, since I’m taller and stronger than you, your shots will be short-ranged, of course.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious! I can’t play as Shooting guard, Shin-chan!”

“You’re not going to, you’re going to aim, that’s all. Aren’t you the one telling everybody to be unpredictable? Can you imagine their faces when you’re the one scoring three-pointers and not me?”

“Hm, you’ve got a point. Then, teach me, Midorima-sensei!” Takao exaggerated his shooting stance and Midorima kicked him on the heels, both in purpose to punish him and to correct his stance.

“Keep your shoulders straight and tight… now spread your legs and lower your hips.” He fixed Takao’s position and moved his arms upwards.

“Is that how you talk to the ladies, Shin-chan?! So bossy! You’re making me blush~”

Takao teased, making Midorima blush furiously. The taller boy fixed his glasses and slapped his friend on the back of the head with disdain.

“Joking! Joking! Geez!” He laughed, this time taking his advice seriously. He did as he had said before and flexed his arms where Midorima had originally placed them.

“Your wrist has to be able to rotate as you let go, either for passing, making a faint or shooting. Your fingers are the ones pushing the ball, so you’ll have to find how it’s better for you to place them over.”

“Like this?”

“Yes, that’s good. Now…” Midorima stood besides him and motioned as if he was shooting, for Takao to follow his example. Takao had seen it so many times before he had engraved it into his memory, but trying to imitate it was on a complete different level. Takao jumped and shot the ball as hard as he could. The ball hit the ring and bounced around, but it did enter the net.

“WOW!” He screamed excitedly and smiled widely. “That was awesome! I think you’ve just given me a good idea on how to shoot these passes to you, but I’ll need more time to polish it!”

“Glad to be of help, captain.” He said uninterested, removing many beads of sweat from his forehead. “Now, I’ll be practicing my passes, if you excuse me.”

Takao stared at him in disbelief. He didn’t know how, but he had gotten Shin-chan deeply invested into this new training it was almost scary. Perhaps his conviction to win was so big he was willing to sacrifice everything he knew about how to play basketball. Takao shivered, as he held the ball in his hands again and stared at the loop from a considerable distance. The phantom traces of Shin-chan’s fingers lingered on his arms, which made his muscles remember the position they had set before. He was admittedly scared of shooting three-pointers, but he needed to improve his precision if he wanted to keep up with his friend.

* * *

 

The coach had asked Takao to close the gym after they finished, as he had to go home earlier that evening because of a family situation. Midorima decided to stay until late, just like Arashiita and Inazuma did. After the whole team had finished training, showering and changing, only the third-year pair remained, and dusk had already set on the horizon by the time Takao locked up the doors. Their underclassmen had picked up their bikes and they were on their way home, but Midorima and Takao decided to go out for dinner before heading to their respective houses.

“I kinda want to go to that new yakisoba place that’s close to my house, what do you think?”

“Fine by me. You’re paying, right?” Midorima took out of his pocket today’s lucky item to place it inside his backpack as he looked at Takao with a mocking smirk. The small effigy of a sleeping kitten smiled back at him on the palm of his hand, a wood carved netsuke he had taken from his mother’s collection.

“I’ll treat you just because you offered to teach me for today.” Takao winked at him. “But you’re paying the drinks, Shin-chan!”

Midorima headed towards the vending machine outside their school campus while Takao checked everything was in order. He withdrew an energy drink for his friend and a can of Oshiruko for himself. He threw the sparkling bottle and Takao thanked him with a smile.

Just as they were about to leave the premises of the school, Takao stopped abruptly. Midorima rolled his eyes and followed his friend, as Takao had taken an unexpected u-turn and returned towards the vending machine with a quick pace. His sharp eyes roamed around the benches and the patches of grass behind them, but he didn’t say a word on what he was looking for.

“Mind to explain?”

“I think I saw something when we were going for our bikes, Shin-chan…”

“Yes, possibly a muggler. Can we go now?”

“Don’t be a crybaby, come on, help me search!” Takao demanded, but as Midorima leaned down to help and complain about it, he signaled him to keep silent. “I think heard something…”

“I heard that too.” Midorima walked towards a seemingly empty trash can and leaned in closer to its lid. He managed to hear a faint sound coming from inside, a low whining that sounded like a hurt animal cry.

“Oh my god, there’s something inside!” The shorter opened the trashcan and began searching like crazy. Midorima tried to stop him, insisting it may be dangerous since it could be a raccoon or a possum, but Takao didn’t care. After a few minutes, Takao took out a small box filled with old newspapers and the tiniest black kitten Midorima had ever seen.

“Ugh…” Midorima complained, getting away from Takao.

“Who would do this to a baby?! Oh no… looks like it’s famished and hurt. I’m sorry, Shin-chan, I don’t think I can take you to dinner tonight, we have to go to the vet immediately… Shin-chan are you ok?”

Takao knew Midorima wasn’t particularly affectionate towards animals (towards anything, actually), but he couldn’t understand why he had a disgusted and horrified expression had painted itself on his face. He was aware that he wasn’t fond and friendly towards cats in specific, but this was getting ridiculous.

“G-get that thing away from me…”

“Are you allergic?”

“N-n-no!”

“Oh… You’re afraid of cats?! Really?” a smile crept up his face, which Midorima felt tempted to punch out. “No, now’s not time for that. Please come with me. I know a doctor’s clinc nearby…”

Takao wrapped the kitten with one of his clean towels and embraced it tightly, but carefully, against his chest as he rushed to the parking lot where their bikes waited for them. Midorima followed him, mostly worried to leave Takao alone at night when he was supposed to leave him at his house. He made sure to text both his mother and Takao’s that they’d be arriving late, and followed him up to the vet’s clinic.

The doctor was a middle-aged man with a warm smile and tired eyes. His hair was slowly turning gray, but his skin showed no signs of wrinkles other than the ones around his eyes. After a quick check-up, the vet said the cat was no older than three months and that she’d not survive if nobody took care of her. Takao’s heart was shaken, because he didn’t want to leave her behind at the adoption center at their local dog pound in that condition. It’d be best if any on them took care of the cat and they could search for someone who’d like to keep her once she was a bit sturdier.

“It’s a she?” Takao asked with enthusiasm, caressing the little creature’s head with tenderness. The doctor nodded and explained them how to take care of the baby animal. He insisted they’d have to bring her back later that week when she had regained more of her strength to get her shots. While the doctor explained all this, Midorima stayed as far away as he could from the metal stretcher and the little creature standing atop of it, flapping her small tail happily. He observing Takao with disdain as he treated the cat as if it was a human baby.

“You’re not fond of animals, young man?” The doctor asked, noticing Midorima’s unusual behavior. The green-haired teen shook his head and insisted it was only cats that made him nervous. He wasn’t particularly friendly towards dogs either, but he could definitely be close to one without panicking The doctor smiled and insisted it was only a three month old kitten, there wasn’t much harm that it could do.

“The best way to cure a phobia is facing it, they say. Perhaps you should be the one to take care of her.”

“Yeah, we’re going to have a problem, Shin-chan… I can’t keep her, my sister has very strong allergies and I cannot have pets in my apartment.” Takao said, getting close to him with the cat on his arms. Midorima stepped back, which made Takao smirk. “Come on, just pat her on the head, she’s not gonna bite you.”

“Cat scratches… I don’t like cat scratches.” Midorima admitted, nervous to get closer to the cat, but acknowledging Takao was only trying to do something good for the unfortunate animal. She was thin like a stick and one of her paws had a tight bandage on the tip, much like he kept his own fingers on the left hand. The cat’s bandages were because she had a superficial wound on her leg, most likely obtained inside that god forsaken trash can. Even of that, she purred against Kazunari’s touch and stared at Midorima with curious eyes.

“She’s not going to scratch you! She’s a baby and she’s barely got any strength left. You think you can take care of her?”

“I… I don’t know. My parents probably won’t like her.”

“Megumi-chan mentioned she wanted a pet, didn’t she? Besides, your father’s a doctor and your mother was a nurse, they surely know how to medicate her and she’ll be as good as new in no time.”

“Megumi wanted a bunny, Kazu.” Midorima sighed and reluctantly offered his hands for Takao to place the small animal on them. Doubtful and trembling, he took a hold of the little furball on his large hands, expecting for the worst, but the small creature snuggled against his fingers and purred at their warmth. Midorima blushed… she was quite adorable.

“I… I’ll do my best, but you’ll have to explain this to them.”

“Yeah! Thanks, Shin-chan!” Takao said, grateful his friend was willing to make a small sacrifice for him and their cat.

“She’s going to be our baby girl, haha. Oh look, she’s got really beautiful eyes, I’ve not noticed they were…” Takao paused and exchanged looks with the cat’s stare and the green haired boy in front of him. The same pair of green eyes returned the confused look at him in both ocassions.

“HAHAHAHA!”

“What are you laughing at?”

“Didn’t Oha-Asa said it was a great chance for Cancer to think about family? I just got to think she looks a lot like you: she’s got big, bright green eyes, and she’s really lucky, too! She’s also very cute and peaceful, that surely didn’t come from you! Maybe she’s got her raven hair and her good looks from her daddy. You can be the cat mom, Shin-chan.”

“Bakao.”

“Hey! don’t call me that! Ok, fine, you can be the cat dad if you want!” Takao complained and asked the lady from the pet shop besides the clinic if they had any kitten collars for her. Takao picked an orange colored one, in honor of their team’s uniforms. Takao bought, with the money destined to pay for their dinners, her the litter box, the crystal sand, a bag of cat food and some toys for her to play while she had to stay at Midorima’s house, before Takao managed to find a way to take her with him.

The shopkeeper asked if they wanted to have a plaque with her name, but up until now, Kazunari hadn’t thought of a name for her yet.

“You cannot call her Shin-chan if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I was thinking more of ‘Midorimacchi’, but your suggestion is better.” Takao laughed and after insisting the name ‘Oha-Asa’ or whatever derivate Midorima could come up with was vetoed, he admitted he had no idea on how to call her.

“...I want to call her Netsu.” Takao had expected a harsh rebuttal to his comment on the nickname Kise used to call him, but he did not wait to get a suggestion made in kind and delicate words.

“Netsu? Why would you like to call her fever, Shin-chan?” He asked, confused.

Midorima reached for his bag and took out his small lucky item for today, the wooden netsuke shaped like a sleeping kitten. His intentions were clear, Netsu would be some sort of lucky item for now on. Ironic, given the case that she was a black cat.

Fighting against a phobia wasn’t an easy feat, but Takao’s motivational speech from the evening seemed to have affected Midorima the most of all members of the team, even for his everyday life outside the court. He was determined enough to change his ways of living, strongly fixated on his arrogant attitude and unbreakable pride. He was even daring to take care of a cat by himself in order to break away from that negative trait of his he disliked so much. A part of him that, only in front of Takao, he admitted he had no sympathy towards it

No matter what Takao said, it’d probably be impossible to convince Midorima to let go of the kitten ever again. Stubborn and annoying as he was, Shintaro was actually really kind hearted. It made Takao’s own heart beat at a frantic pace from time to time.

“Let’s go to my house, it’s too late for me to walk you home. You can explain this to my mother and to Megumi.” Midorima said as if he was issuing an order, but Takao smiled, removing Netsu from his hands to carry her on their way.

“What a peculiar scene, Shin-chan, we’re presenting our daughter to your family on her first day. I didn’t imagine you’d be such a good father!”

“Shut up, Takao!”


	3. Make them scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Vs. Seirin (Midorima has to score 2P shots only and he hates it) || Midorima voices his respect for Takao.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I had a terrible week at work and overall my life is on abysmal conditions lately. Thus the late update, sorry. Hope you enjoy, I'm sorry if Shin-chan is a bit OCC, but my prop list asked for this to be done. Also, this is still based on KnB, or as I like to call it, Basketball with superpowers, the Anime™, so I wanted to write some of their matches to keep the mood even if I know nothing about it. Excuse the mistakes or illegal moves there might be on this chapter.

Another week had gone by and as far as Takao was concerned, Midorima had made a lot of progress on fighting his dislike towards cats thanks to Netsu’s presence. The kitten had gotten healthier and she was no longer in danger. She was growing at a steafast pace and she was a mischievous furball that liked to run around Shin-chan’s living room. When she grew tired of playing, though, she liked to rest on the green haired boy’s legs, who’d pat her until she fell asleep. Without telling him a word about it, Takao enjoyed watching him being so happy.

Their teamwork and personal practice was getting better each day. Midorima had to admit Takao was doing an incredible job, because he had insisted on adding new feats to their routine other than jogging each evening after classes were finished. He asked Midorima to follow a strict diet and a personal training menu for the mornings too, which implied muscle tonification and stretching. In less than a month, his form had improved significantly, which showed off on his technique.  

When the weekend was about to begin, Takao checked on everyone’s progress once again. However, this time the coach asked them for a minute, as he was about to make an special announcement. Nakatani-sensei and Tae-chan had managed to schedule them a friendly match against Seirin, which was unusual on itself, as Seirin rarely accepted doing unofficial encounters. Takao smirked excitedly and encouraged his underclassmen to show the results of their training against one of their biggest rivals.

As they picked up their stuff from their lockers after practice, Takao noticed Midorima had a grimace on his face, which worried him slightly. Over the couple of years they’d been friends, Takao had noticed he started to smile more and he’d sulk less, but that day wasn’t the case. There was something bothering him, and the captain assumed it had to do with their upcoming match.

“Mind to share what’s bothering you?” Takao asked, tossing him some tape for his fingers.

“It’s nothing…”

“It’s not so easy to lie to me now, you know? about the match, right?.” Midorima stared at him, incredulous, making him smirk. Takao let himself fall besides him on the bench and helped him pull the tape around his fingers. “Heh, I know you pretty well after all… What’s wrong?”

“Kuroko and Kagami are some of our toughest rivals out there. On our first year they took us out of the Inter-High really early on…”

“You’re afraid it might happen again?” For all that the hawkeye talked out loud, Takao was really good at listening. Midorima appreciated he stopped his usual teasing when he was evidently anxious about the matter at hand. “We’re getting stronger, Shin-chan, let’s trust our abilities and show them who’s boss this year!”

“Thing is, we’re not the only ones getting stronger.” The taller man inspected his hands and closed his eyes in desperation before speaking his mind. “Kagami and Kuroko are one problem, but Akashi is returning this season now that he’s all better from that sprained ankle already. Aomine is probably getting stronger than any of us; Kise’s perfect copy is always worrisome, more so since he managed to enter the Zone and his stamina has been improving greatly. The one I’m not quite sure about is Murasakibara, he’s still injured from that fracture and he no longer has Himuro’s support this year.”

“What did I tell you, Shin-chan? We’re becoming the very best, that includes surpassing your old teammates by far. I’m sure we’ll make it… we’ve only been training under this regime for a month and I can see a lot of progress. I’m so sure we’ll make it!” Takao repeated to make emphasis. Midorima couldn’t help but smile at his hopeless positivity.

“I hope it’s true.”

“I have a proposal for you, Shin-chan. Talking about Seirin gave me an idea.”

“Another challenge?”

“Yup! As far as I know, coach Aida retired after graduating past year, but she’s still working with the team nowadays. She’s mostly relying on their new captain, Furihata-kun but Riko-san is pretty knowledgeable for her managing capabilities. Much like Momoi-chan, Aida-san is known to keep record of every player Seirin plays against.”

Midorima nodded, remembering they had some advantage during their first year because there were little to no records of their matches or their feats as a team, but nowadays, as third-years, they had gained a lot of renown to their names as the light and shadow from Shutoku.

“She’s going to use the match to analyse us and use it against us if we are to face Seirin… which we’ll inevitably do, because of the tournament’s regional divisions.”

“Right. So, how’s about it we give her a little surprise? I think we can manage, with the stuff we’ve been practicing these weeks they’ll not see it coming.” Takao smirked that mischievous smile Midorima knew was up to no good. Yet, he returned the gesture and accepted Takao’s proposal.

* * *

It was the first time Takao wore the number 4 jersey out on public, which made him feel slightly nervous. He bounced the ball against the floor idly during their warm-up practice, just before their friendly match against Seirin began. The other team practiced on the other side of the court and Takao greeted Kuroko from afar as soon as he set his eyes on him. Apparently, it still bothered the blue haired boy that Takao was able to catch a glimpse of him whenever they crossed paths, which made Takao feel even more proud of his hawk-like eyes.

“You’re sweating and we’ve not even begun.” Midorima poked fun at him and fixed his glasses. The moment he spoke, he noticed it had attracted Kagami’s attention, who ran from the other side to meet him. “Try to calm down.”

“Hey, Midorima!” Kagami screamed, startling the first years who were warming up around them. “Long time no see!”

“Hello, Kagami.” Takao greeted him, after Midorima simply clicked his tongue in disapproval and turned away from him. Kagami managed to get him on his nerves so easily.

“Takao-kun, congratulations on your captaincy.” The importunate phantom player said with an affectionate smile, but at the same time he scared Midorima and Kagami from popping up behind their backs. He did not remove his defiant stare from Takao at any time.

“Thanks, Kuroko! I had expected you’d be named captain as well, but I see that wasn’t the case.” Takao said with a tint of skepticism, but he had to admit Furihata had stepped up a lot during the last season. Perhaps it was because fighting against Akashi during his first year had given him courage, or perhaps it was because Akashi had skipped the past Winter Cup because of a horseback riding accident. His true challenge would come in just a few months now that the Emperor was back.

“No, the coach recommended Furihata took the position and we all agreed. It’s true that our team has a lot to improve since our senpai graduated, but we’re going to fight like we’ve always done.” Kagami spoke with enthusiasm and Takao smiled back at him. After all, both teams were in the same position and nervousness was a common fact between them.

“We plan to do the same, so you better not underestimate us!”

* * *

It was a gruelsome match, as per usual. They were tied with 46 points each by the time they had reached the third quarter, as none of them would let the other take an advantage. Midorima’s long shots were often matched by Kagami’s high jumps, but Takao’s training was showing its results: it had helped him improve the timing of his shots and his stamina and they were practically perfect by now. Not only that was causing a lot of trouble for Seirin, but their promising first year had managed to put up a great fight against Kagami to stop him, which was a big deal on itself for a newcomer.

“It seems Kuroko might be hitting his limit soon. Do you think you can cover him?” Takao asked Inazuma, smiling as they readied their next strategies during the half-time. “Remember he’s sneaky, which is why my Hawkeye is best suited to deal with him. I do need your support for what’s coming next, though.”

“What are you planning, captain?”

“Just follow my lead. Inazuma, take on Kuroko until he tires and is switched out. Arashiita, can you keep tagging Kagami?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if I can handle him during the fourth quarter, though.” -answered the youth with a rough voice.

“That’s more than enough. Tatsumaki, please handle their captain. Furihata tends to change the pace of the game, so we’ll need you to block him from taking the ball.” Takao ordered the other second year who had joined their regulars during this month of training. “Shin-chan, are we ready?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Midorima reprimanded him, but he did so smiling. He was still bothered when Takao used it around their team, specially their underclassmen, but none of them seemed to care. It was well known that their team’s aces were a very eccentric duo “But yes, I’m ready... I just hope it works out…”

“Make them scared, Shin-chan!!”

* * *

Nobody believed what happened before their eyes. Seirin had fallen behind for ten points in just two minutes and they didn’t manage to recover quickly enough to close the gap for their fourth quarter. It had all started as per usual, with Shutoku focusing on defense to take control of the ball so that they’d be able to gain a steady pace and switch to attacking through Midorima’s shots.

However, around the first thirty seconds of play, something broke their usual order: Takao stood on mid court, where nobody expected him to be, and he shot a three-pointer (horrible, with  an abysmal technique, according to Shintaro) that rebounded against the ring a couple of times. Midorima avoided the two players marking him quickly and dunked the ball with a swift and elegant, while everyone was distracted on Takao’s daring trick.

“Midorima… dunked the ball?!” Kagami screamed in disbelief and kept himself in place as he doubted whether to run towards him or try to stop Takao from shooting. Kagami had reached him and he had changed the ball’s direction when he made contact with it, but Midorima had retrieved it and scored two points afterwards.

Midorima retrieved the ball again and dribbled away quickly, evading the same two players as before. Kuroko was being blocked by the bulkier Inazuma-kun, who had to be careful not to lose him from sight. He fought hard, but Kuroko was already tired from the previous half. He was just as surprised as Kagami, for it was unusual for them to do something like that, especially coming from the ever proud Midorima.

“Kagami-kun! Takao-kun is going to…!” Kuroko screamed to warn his teammate, but in his distraction, Kagami couldn’t stop a swiftly made pass that drove across the court and gracefully landed on Takao’s hands. Shutoku’s new captain shot again, this time managing to score his awaited three pointer. Takao screamed in joy and bumped fists with Midorima, who was just as euphoric as we was, even if he learned to conceal his emotions a lot better. They repeated such a feat again, taking advantage of everyone’s astonishment (even their own coach’s and teammates’) on their improvised change of positions.

“I have one final request for you, Shin-chan… you think you can do it?”

“I’m listening.”

“Arashi-kun, I want you to let Kagami pass this time.” Midorima’s eyes opened wide in surprise. He obviously didn’t expect to fight one-on-one against Kagami when he was at disadvantage. Shintaro turned his head to look for the coach’s opinion, but Nakatani just stared at Takao and nodded for him to continue.“I know you cannot hold him any longer, so you’ll help me blocking everyone else so that Midorima can take him on.”

“I’m not sure I can make it.” Midorima admitted, fixing his glasses while he analyzed the situation carefully. “I’m not a power forward. You know my offense is better from afar and I’m way better at blocking than attacking directly...”

“I want you to score twos this time. Try to score on your own and do not clean for my mistakes after the rebound this time. Make them tremble, Shin-chan.”

“... fine.”

* * *

Midorima remembered that at one point, while he watched Kagami fighting against the other Miracles, he’d hoped never to get on Kagami’s way when he was running rampant around the court when he first met him. Nevertheless, he followed Takao’s orders to the letter and faced him head on, fighting like he had never done before. Shintaro knew he had the abilities, yet his technique was a lot more undeveloped than Kagami’s.

Surprisingly, Midorima compromised to forget his orthodox methods of playing basketball and became a very flexible and unpredictable player than he had ever been. It was terrible. His shots were a mess, his footsteps didn’t match the rhythm he usually kept through his whole body, but that same surprise factor gave him one of the greatest advantages he’d have never imagined. Kagami was so distracted trying to find either heads or tails on Midorima’s plays, expecting to find Takao behind him to steal the ball and pass it, or ready to jump to stop a three-pointer which turned out to be just a faint. His own excessive concentration made him become an easy target, completely vulnerable to Midorima’s straight-forward attacks.

The trick only worked for the first two minutes of their last quarter, because Kagami began to catch on his opponent’s rhythm, but it was more than enough for the team in orange uniforms to get 14 points ahead.

“Let’s switch back to usual, Shin-chan… I think it’s been enough.” Takao said when their coach called a time-out to switch Arashiita out. Because of the exhaustion, he insisted on taking out Midorima as well, but he refused.

“No.” Midorima said coldly, removing the sweat from his brow. “I’ll keep landing two-pointers like you ordered, but you’ll do the hard work. Kuroko’s no longer on the court and I think I managed to tire Kagami enough. If you manage to avoid him, you’ll be able to shoot from mid-court.”

“My shots are not so high and I can’t jump like you do… I’m also tired, my aim is going to be terrible. Even if I can avoid him, I’ll surely not score anything.”

“Then dont’. Use your Hawkeye to position yourself  where Kagami can’t target you and aim at my hands while I’m doing a hook shot.” Takao stared at him in disbelief. Was he proposing to do a variant of their Sky 3P short, which involved him playing as  anything else than a shooting guard? Takao couldn’t believe his ears, but he agreed to do so anyway.

In the end, their trick wasn’t as efficient as per usual, since as Takao predicted, his aiming was terrible. Midorima had to stretch his arm as far as he could to catch the ball after it had escaped from Takao’s fingers before time, and with all his might he had to do an equally terrible formless shot to land the ball inside the net. In the end, the marker read 89-81, leaving Shutoku as winner of their friendly match.

After some short congratulatory words from Kagami, who looked tired but also excited to see their new aces up their sleeve, the team headed to the locker room. Kuroko reached for Takao separatedly before he could join the rest of the team. He congratulated Takao not only for their victory, but also for all they’d managed in such a short time. Kuroko spoke surprised, he insisted he’d never believed someone would be able to make Midorima play like he did today. Even their coach and Furihata-kun insisted they were  eager to  play against them during the upcoming tournament, just to see what other things they had in mind for then. The first encounters to classify for the Inter High would begin in two months, so it’d still be a long time before they managed to face each other again. Neither could wait for it, but for the moment, Shutoku’s team wanted to enjoy their victory with a long and well-deserved rest.

* * *

“Can I ask you something?” Takao pondered as they parked their bikes outside of Midorima’s house, when they made their way back from Seirin High. Even if he was sore and tired, Takao wanted to see how was the kitten fairing, and Midorima’s mother had insisted he should stay up for dinner to celebrate their victory. Perhaps he’d call home and say he’d stay for the weekend at his friend’s house, as per usual, they’d spend the evening playing games with Shintaro’s little sister or reading manga in silence, but he’d be too tired in just a few minutes to even try to return home until the next morning.

“What is it?” Midorima asked as he let him inside and as if he were inside his own home, Takao removed his shoes and walked towards his friend’s room, like he always did when he paid a visit. On his way upstairs, he greeted Miyuki-san and Megumi-chan, who watched TV on the living toom. Midorima’s father was at work, as per usual.

“What do you do when you admire or respect someone?”

“I don’t know… nothing, I guess.” Midorima answered with no hints of interest as he left his bag on the desk and removed his jacket. “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s do a puzzle! Megumi-chan gifted you one last month, didn’t she?” Takao proposed, almost ignoring that Shintaro was trying to switch topics. Midorima nodded and climbed up his closet to pull up the large box with a bright landscape of a beach on its cover. “I’m just curious… I remember you saying you respect Kuroko, but you barely talk to him. Today you almost skipped him completely. Same goes for Kagami, you respect him, even admire his skill, but he annoys you to no end!”

“I’m not very good at expressing such things.” Midorima said sincerely. He opened the box and sat on the floor besides Takao. The boy with the Hawkeye was caressing the green-eyed kitten with tenderness while he smiled at Shin-chan with mischief. “Are you planning it to be one of your dumb challenges?”

“Nah, but now that you mention it, it’d be good!” Takao ruffled Netsu’s head and scratched behind her ears. The kitten purred in return, which made Shintaro smile and join him on patting the cat. Takao was glad he had taken a liking on her so quickly. Perhaps he’d still dislike every other cat on the planet, but at least this lucky kitten had stolen his heart completely.

_I’m almost jealous of you, Netsu..._

“Do you think you’d be able to tell someone how much you admire them?”

“I can do so now.”

“Not your mother or your sister, Shin-chan!” Takao said annoyed, bothered by his attempts to avoid the dumb challenge, as he liked to call them.

“Precisely. I can tell you why do I admire you.” His voice was so straight-forward and sincere it took Takao by surprise.

“W-what? Me?!”

“Yes. Does it bother you?” Midorima stared at him without any sort of interest while he took a golden chinese coin from his pocket and toyed with it for a while. Takao gulped and asked himself why had his friend decided to toy around with his lucky item like that just after he had said something like that. The point guard shook his head and averted his gaze. He was secretly proud that Midorima praised him.  

“I like your dedication and your patience. Without either of those, we’d not have arrived this far and we’d not have the synergy we have, of course. I think I’d not be the player I am today if it weren’t for you.”

“Shin-chan…” Sometimes, Shintaro had the strange ability to leave him speechless and breathless quite easily.

Did he do it on purpose?

_Ah.... he’ll never know what his words do to me… right?_

“What I’m trying to say is I’m glad you’re my friend and that you’ve managed to put up with me for almost three years.” Midorima averted his gaze and Takao noticed his cheeks were burning bright red. He took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes, perhaps wiping some tears of embarrassment from them.

“So… thanks, Kazu.”

His words were so precious Takao was sure they were going to be engraved forever on his mind. Unable to say anything in return, he just smiled and laughed a childish laugh, blushing as well in shame. He was so overjoyed that it pissed Shintaro off.

“You’re so cute, Shin-chan.”

“Go die, Takao!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Kise being Kise, Takao being Takao.


	4. Take care of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Shin-chan being kind || Kise and Kasamatsu fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm fashionably late. This time it was not because I was dealing with the excesses of real and adult life, but because I left this chapter inconclussive and I didn't even notice until I finished the first part of the translation. At the time, I didn't know if I liked Kise with his senpai or Aomine, being completely honest... but in recent times I've had a rush of feels towards Kasamatsu that I decided to go this way. Besides, one of my greatest headcanons is that Kise and Kazu actually become really close friends after their first year, and they're usually fooling around to make their partners jealous (Specially Shin-chan lol). I have a parallel story in spanish that I hope I can also translate to english sometime soon where you can see the particular incident Kise talks about at the end of the chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this very long chapter and I expect to have the next one on time since it's a lot shorter and that one's already finished... i think?
> 
> Once again, thanks for commenting!

Days went by quickly. Not having exams for a short period of time helped Takao concentrate on their training, but as soon as their test periods began anew, Midorima knew his captain's attention span would decreased rapidly. However, Midorima had no idea how the other boy was doing lately, as they’d not talked much outside from their breaks or practice. For some reason, Takao seemed incredibly busy for the past weeks, running from class to health committee’s office to practice and then he’d rush home, excusing he had some important things to attend. At another time, Shintao would have felt undignified abou Takao leaving him on his own, but almost three years after being together had taught him about respecting Takao’s independence. He still felt a strange void now that his phone remained silent for the entire weekend, perhaps for the very first time since they became friends.

His dumb challenges didn’t decrease, though, but they’d all been quite simple, unlike the ones he had proposed on the previous days. Wear a pink shirt for a day, eat something you don’t like, talk with the underclassmen and help them train… really simple things. For all the few evidence he had gathered, he suspected something had happened that kept Takao’s mind elsewhere, but he was too proud to ask. Midorima wasn’t a possessive friend, but he did find it odd that they weren’t spending as much time together as per usual. Takao hadn’t invited him for dinner lately and they’d stopped doing their homework at Shintaro’s house. Were these distractions keeping him away from his responsibilities? It was unlikely because Takao kept up with practice and he delivered all homeworks on time. He wondered if something was wrong, but it wasn’t like him to worry over things like that. So he kept it silent.

There were no friendly plays coming soon, as the first round for the Inter-High would begin soon. Yet, they had a scouting journey on one of Kaijo’s upcoming matches in Kanagawa next week. Midorima sighed, thinking it would be bothersome to go all the way there to see Kise’s game, of all people. As third years, they usually focused more on practice rather than watching their opponents, they’d send their younger teammates or Tae-chan to do the scouting, but Takao insisted they took that job themselves. It’d be the first time since almost a month that they’d be able to spend more than fifteen minutes together without Takao rushing out to somewhere else. Midorima sighed again as he sat on the backseat of the bus. The day promised to be troublesome.

“Ahhh, so good to take a break! Don’t you think, Shin-chan?” Takao asked as he stretched his legs besides him. The raven-haired boy was thankful Midorima didn’t want to take their bikes to the other prefecture this time.

“I’d rather be at practice, actually.” He fixed his glasses over his nose and crossed his legs as the bus’ engine roared  and it set trail towards their destination.

“Speak for yourself, I’m pummeled!” Takao spread his arms across the backside of his seat and pouted. “I’ve been running around from home to school and extra classes I feel my back is going to snap at any moment.”

“Extra classes?” Midorima asked, pretending not to have any interest. It answered his question on what had taken Takao’s time away, but it also raised even more questions. 

“Oh, right, I guess I’ve not told you since we’ve not been able to talk since the classes started other than at the gym… it’s part of my own challenge, you see? I’ve been attending a fitness center for almost a month, three times during the week and all morning on saturdays. During the other two days of the week I’ve been taking language classes, and I dedicate sundays to homework and resting.” Takao explained, counting his many activities with his fingers.

“Hm, interesting.” Midorima admitted, amazed by Takao’s determination. “What are you going to do when the exams begin?”

“I’m thinking about quitting the health committee. I’ve attended for two years but the captaincy and the classes are taking most of my time and energy. I can use the time I spent on that for studing at the library.”

“It’s strange to see you so committed. What gives?”

“I have to worry about my future too, you know? I need to get in better shape in order to keep up with you, I need time to study for exams and do school projects and I always wanted to learn another language. I’m just doing what I can at the moment.”

“Then… let me help you study, if you want, of course.” Midorima shifted his eyes away from Takao’s and tried to pull away from him, but it was practically impossible because they were sitting side by side. the shorter man turned around surprised as Midorima spoke.

“I thought you’d enjoy spending time on your own, actually. I feel like I’ve been nagging you too much lately.”

“I do enjoy it. But…” Takao’s eyes were lying to him, Midorima couldn’t be blushing that much. It was adorable. “...I sort of miss you being there,nagging. I respect that you wish to improve yourself, but…”

“Shin-chan… do you miss me?”

“I never said that.”

_Ah, there he goes, with his tsundere act again..._

His ears should also be lying to him, Shin-chan definitely didn’t grunt and remained silent, as if agreeing to his previous statement. His actions seemed to be contradicting his own words. Takao was trying so hard not to tease him or burst into laughter, but if he didn’t do any of those things, Midorima would tense up so much Takao was afraid he would go mute for a week.

“Hah! Then I’ll have to make you keep that promise! I’m making you our number one player, but you’re making me graduate top of our class!”

Midorima smiled. Takao surely looked and acted like an idiot, but he was a brilliant student. Not for anything they’d stuck together on the same classroom during high-school, on the class that only the best students were included because of their near-to-perfect grades. He was irresponsible, easily distracted and had few commitment with his studies, but once he set his mind into it, Takao could score grades as good as his. Shintaro rarely had to help him with his homework, he’d rather oblige him to concentrate for Takao to finish in due time.

“Is that another challenge?” Midorima asked quietly as a shy smile appeared on his lips.

“No… not quite.” Takao rested his head against the crystal and closed his eyes for a while. He was really, really tired. “It’s more like a favor. Please, take care of me so that don’t go crazy, ok?”

* * *

As one would expect from a former member of the Generation of Miracles, Kise didn’t play to 100% of his abilities during minor matches like the one they just  watched. If anything, Midorima knew he had restrained himself at least the the half of his true power, not taking the Zone into account. It hadn’t been a complete loss of time, since they were able to learn about Kise’s new teammates and the new formation the team would have for the season. According to this year’s division, Kaijo would be one of the first teams they might be facing if their score was high enough during the starting round. Midorima knew their new formation and their apparent solid teamwork were going to become into a bother on their next encounter, so he had to learn how to face such problem before their match was even official..

While Shintaro was busy taking mental notes, Kazunari had gotten distracted by the end of the first quarter when he noticed Kasamatsu-senpai was expectating his former kouhai’s game from the bleachers. Midorima had to slap him once to remember him why were they there on the first place and not to fangirl too much about the older point guard, but in the end he let his friend run rampant towards the college student to greet him. Takao returned after a few minutes with a sappy smile on his face which annoyed Midorima greatly.

“Don’t get jealous, Shin-chan, I still love you more than Kasamatsu-san.” Takao teased, taking his seat back.

“I know. Now shut up.” He answered without refusing his advances, but he rolled his eyes dramatically and the hawkeye blushed slightly. Takao batted his eyes multiple times unable to understand how or why Midorima had answered him like that. Midorima smirked arrogantly to a very surprised Takao and kept on watching the match.

A few minutes after the game had ended, they decided it’d be better to leave for home before it got late. Takao insisted on taking him out for dinner before taking the bus, acknowledging he wanted to come to Kanagawa just because there was a very cool manga shop and café just some streets away from there. Midorima felt the urge to slap him again, but if standing Kazu’s whims would get him free dinner, he’d accompany Takao on his silly quest to find the last volume of the least popular manga he had been hooked on for months.

“WAIT!” A cheerful, yet annoyingly familiar voice interrupted Midorima and Takao from exiting the gym. Kise rushed for them at full speed with Kasamatsu trailing behind him with a look of disapproval in his eyes. “Yes, you’re really here!! Senpai wasn’t lying!

“Why would I be lying to you?!”

“Midorimacchi and Takaocchi came to see me?”

“Of course we didn’t, you idiot. We came to watch your team.” Midorima answered with annoyance in his voice.

“Don’t be mean, Shin-chan!” Takao said, elbowing him on the ribs. “Remember you’re only allowed one selfish act this year and you already used it today, don’t make me punish you!”

Kise looked at them, slightly confused for their quirky interaction. They might be weird, as everything that involved Midorima, but they were great people to be around, and incredibly hard-to-beat rivals on the court. That day, however, there was something different, weirder than usual in Shuutoku’s light and shadow. Kasamatsu didn’t seem to notice what it was, but Kise, who knew Midorima for a long time ago and had been quite close to Takao ever since they met, had begun to suspect and form a well-elaborated theory about the situation. Even if they had different understandinsgs on the matter, Kasamatsu and Kise shared a knowing look and they unanimously decided it’d be better not to interfere with their plans. Ryouta insisted he had some business to attend with Kasamatsu after their game and that he’d be busy, but otherwise, he’d love to join them for dinner.

“We’ll take your offer next time, Ki-chan”, Takao said cheerfully, using the nickname that Momoi used to call Kise and knowing he didn’t like it much. Kazunari had a knack for making the miracles angry with silly nicknames.

“Oh, I know!”, he said ignoring the mischevious intentions from the hawkeye. “My birthday is next month, why don’t you two come? I’m planning to gather everyone for a karaoke night, what do you think?  We’ll be celebrating it after the Inter-high is over, but I guess it’s good if you schedule it now.”

Takao agreed without even asking Midorima for his opinion to Kise’s proposition. Both Shintaro and Yukio rolled their eyes in desperation.

“We’ll have to compete on who’s the best singer! There’s this bar in Shibuya that has sailor uniforms as punishment for the one with the lowest score!” Takao dared him and laughed out loud, turning several heads towards them. Kise insisted he was not going to lose anyway, but it’ll be pretty funny to see him wearing the schoolgirl clothes for speaking way too much. Midorima and Kasamatsu growled again, loosing their patient. However, Kaijo’s ex-captain was not as collected and calm as Midorima and couldn’t hold his ire back. He kicked Kise on the rib and pushed him across the gym’s entrance, until they were out of sight.

“Shin-chan, you’ll come with us, right?”

“I hate karaoke.” Shintaro complained, crossing his arms as they walked outside of the school and into Takao’s manga place. “We can go, but you’ll have to swear you’ll not wear that stupid costume.”

“You’d surely love to see me dressed like that~”

“Bakao.” Imitating Kasamatsu, Midorima smacked him in the head. “Besides, you know I don’t plan on shaming myself by singing.”

“Oh, that’s so bad! I’ll make sure to challenge you by then! You have a beautiful voice, but I think I’ve never heard you sing. I bet you’re good at it.”

“Not as good as you are, I guess.” Midorima avoided Kazunari’s stare while he nervously scratched his neck.

“I can’t believe it! Midorima-sama is praising my singing! What have I done to deserve this blessing?!”

“...let’s get your manga and get out of here.”

* * *

Some years ago, Shintaro had discovered Takao was an impulsive buyer. The first time he had to handle one of his capitalist rampages, they had gone shopping for sneakers and Kazu ended up buying a couple of hypoallergenic hamsters (recreative cage included), so that his sister Suzume could have pets that would not make her sneeze every five seconds.

That day Takao had shown his lack of self-control again, to the point which Midorima had to stop him from paying fifteen volumes he’d picked with his credit card, besides the one he’d been initially looking for. After multiple scoldings and what looked like an argument of an old married couple or a five year old whining to his tired parent, Kazunari agreed to only take four tomes home. The promise to come back for the rest made Midorima regret his negotiations immediately, but at least this would keep him satisfied for a while.

While Takao discussed hapilly with the cashier about which ones she thought were better to take home _(Don’t get jealous, Shin-chan, I sweat I wasn’t flirting with her! I only have time for one nerd in my life…)_ , Midorima was looking at the shelves absent-mindedly. In his own boredom, he decided to take a look into a colorful pink volume and read it while Takao paid for his books, without noticing he had walked into the adult section.

“You should have seen your face!” Takao laughed wildly while they walked out of the store and his friend glared at him. “What the hell were you doing in the gay section anyway?!”

“I have nothing to explain to you, imbecile.”

“Hey, don’t get angry. I bought you that novel you’ve been looking for, isn’t it? I swear I won’t laugh again.” Evidently, Kazunari was lying.

“Can we go?”

“Sure, but first let’s catch some dinner!” Takao had the bookstore bag in one arm and his other hand wrapped around Shintaro’s elbow, so when the shorter boy ran towards the café’s direction, Midorima stumbled a couple of times to follow his pace.

* * *

 

The place was nice, Midorima had to give it that, decorated with plants and flowers in every corner. It was a bit romantic for his liking, but the menú was not incredibly expensive and some dishes sounded scrumptious. However, there was one _thing_ sitting at one of the tables that made him wish he had turned around and flee the place: Kise was alone in a corner, with his Kaijo jacket still wrapped around his shoulders, with a look that seemed to show he had been informed he had just a couple of days left and both were going to be extremely rainy days. He had been crying, it could be deduced by the faint remains of smudged makeup beneath his eyes. Just what Shintaro needed to have his day ruined a little bit more: a compulsive idiot and a crybaby idiot.

“Ki-chan?”

“No, Kazu… no!”

“Don’t be rude, Shintaro!”

Midorima grunted while Takao was trying to push him inside the place, but he set his weight against Kazunari’s, who ended up hitting his back with a flop. The shorter boy let out a whine that sounded like a sad abandoned animal. To punish him for his stubbornness, Takao grabbed him by the waist and started to tickle him to break Shin-chan’s resistance. The greenhead tried to hold his laughter as he struggled against Takao and threw his elbow against his face to push him away. The hawkeye barely avoided the hit. However, this diversion had caused Midorima to walk inside and their little confrontation had dragged Kise’s attention.

“Today’s challenge will be to be nice with Kise. He looks like he needs a friend and I don’t want him to feel any worse. You get it?”

“Are you leaving me alone with him?!”

“Of course not! I said I don’t want him to feel any worse! Do you think I‘m an idiot?! I’d not leave him alone with you, I’m not crazy! I don’t want him to kill himself!”

Takao pushed him towards the table, ignoring the sad and confused look the blond gave him. Even of that, Ryouta didn’t oppose to the company and moved aside so that the two of them could take a seat. Takao noted there was another cup of coffee turning cold in front of him, but Kise was not taking a sip. He had a teapot and a small porcelain teacup between his fingers.

“I thought you had left for home some hours ago” Kise sounded like someone had informed him Zunion Boy no longer wanted to work with him because he seemed too old to be an eighteen year old.

“Takao decided to stop and waste my time. We were going for dinner. What happened to you?” Evidently, Shintaro’s friendliness was short. Takao rolled his eyes and elbowed him on the ribs. “Ugh! I… I mean, are you alright?”

“Huh?” Kise asked estranged, exchanging a sad look between Takao and his partner. The hawkeye gestured at Shin-chan with his head as if trying to say _He’s trying his best!_ and Kise nodded with awareness. “Well, it’s nothing that concerns you, guys. I don’t want to be a bother…”

“You don’t bother us, Ki-chan.” Kazunari gestured the waiter so that he could get the teapot refilled and a couple of extra teacups as well. He asked to take the cold coffee away as well. He asked for a large slice of fruitcake to share that he knew Shin-chan would enjoy.

“Are you sure? Midorimacchi always insist I’m too dramatic and annoying…”

“Just talk, for the love of… Ugh! Stop hitting me, Kazu!” Midorima complained and shook his head with his eyes closed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell us what happened, please?”

Kise avoided their eyes and closed his in desperation. Midorima had seen him cry in multiple occasions, but if he recalled his Teiko years, he had never been as shattered as he was now. Something had happened that Kise had submerged himself in desperation completely. Shintaro wasn’t precisely empathetic, but he hated watching people cry. Over two years of being friend with Takao, he had learned to tolerate, accept and console him when it was the case, but he was conscious Kazunari was a very particular and only case. Kise, however, managed to get him on his bad side whenever he started whining. Now was not the time, because his pain was so heartbreaking he even started to worry the cold and stoic green-haired boy.

“Yukio… errr… Kasamatsu-senpai and I had planned to meet after almost an entire year of just taking through the phone or through texting. He watched the match and then we were coming here for lunch and for drinks, but… senpai is seeing a girl from college.”

“Oh” Takao now understood what the drama was all about. Midorima, a bit more oblivious than his friend, waited for him to continue. “I assume the coffee was his.”

“Yeah. Kasamatsu-senpai finally came to see me and that…” Kise restrained himself from insulting her in a very vulgar way. He just did a couple of obscene gestures before continuing. “... she called him and he went away. When we were together on the team, Moriyama-senpai always insisted that we went out to flirt with girls on the plaza or outside the stadium before an important game. It was fun because senpai was never able to even talk to the. I can’t believe it’s gotten into this.”

“You’re jealous, then?”

“Straightforward as ever, right, Midorimacchi?” Kise’s laughter was quite melancholic. “Not precisely. It’s just that I really hate his girlfriend. but I loathe even more that he left me because of her. He sees her on a daily basis, but he can’t stick for twenty minutes to chat…”

“You’re definitely jealous.” Midorima didn’t even know why he was losing his time with this idiot. What worried him the most, however, was that he could relate to how the blond was feeling. Now that Takao was spending less and less time with him, Shintaro felt some sort of resentment about not having the same attention as always. Whenever he saw him with other people, specially flirting with some unsuspecting girl, he’d just click his tongue and look away to ignore the situation. He was bothered the most when Takao played around with other guys, though. Kise was the perfect example of that, and Midorima became more irritated each passing moment.

“If you insist I suppose it must be true. God, I’m pathetic…”

Takao turned around to stare at Midorima with spite, waiting for him to say something like _Yes, yes you are,_ but the taller one of the three seemed to be deep in thought with a deep frown in his face at the moment.

“Why don’t you like his girlfriend?” He asked, taking Kise’s hand in a comprehensive gesture. Both felt Midorima’s angry stare digging into them.

“You didn’t meet him personally… but she reminds me a lot of Shougo Haizaki”

Those words captured Shintaro’s attention again, who stared at Kise with an untrusting gaze. Takao stared at them with interest, because even if he didn’t met him directly, Haizaki was known to be one of those people he was never supposed to get close to. Midorima had warned him several times in a very protective tone that made Kazunari blush a bit.

“She’s very rude and abusive. She’s taking an advantage of senpai’s trust. He introduced us sometime in the past and she immediately tried to flirt with me. I obviously refused. I chose not to tell anything to Kasamatsu, thinking that it might have been just my imagination, but evidently that wasn’t the case. She called him today and he put her on speaker and she… she… she said senpai shouldn’t be hanging out with people like me. The ones who use our appearance to get whatever they want.”

“I assume Kasamatsu-san listened to her and walked away.”

“It wasn’t just that, Midorimacchi.” Kise closed his eyes in desperation and two large tears rolled down his cheeks. “I was so angry I told him what happened last time and he got mad at me. He said that maybe Setsuko was right and that he shouldn’t keep close to me anymore. I think she finally got her revenge about me rejecting her, because senpai is not returning any of my calls.”

“You’re right, she’s just like Haizaki. Are you aware that she’ll keep on using Kasamatsu-san to her convenience unless you do something? I don’t know why he choses to do it, but he listens to you. If nobody has stopped him from seeing that woman it's because nobody close to him has been in an abusive situation like the one you’ve lived. For him, all of this is completely normal because he doesn’t know anything better. You know she’s using him, though.”

Midorima shrugged while the other two looked at him astonished. He looked away and stood up, insisting he had to go to the restroom before leaving. The moment they were done with the fruitcake, they’d walk kise to the station and they’d take a bus back to Tokyo before it got late. He didn’t ask for Kazunari’s opinion.

“He’s never told me anything so… so…”

“Great? Useful?” 

“Kind.” Kise stared him with amazement and shook his head in denial. “What have you done to Midorimacchi?! He wasn’t like that!”

“I don’t know, I think I’ve achieved my goal.” Takao shrugged as well with a mischievous expression and Kise laughed weakly.

“Is he still mad about that time I invited you to dance with me?”

“Don’t even mention it, he still scolds me every time I insist we should come seeing you.”

“I can’t believe it… you must really like him to try all of this just for him”

Takao stared nervously at the bathroom door, aware that Shintaro may be coming at any moment and he didn’t want him to listen to this part of their conversation. The last thing he wanted was to explain what the hell Ryouta was babbling about. At some point he’d have to tell the truth, but that moment wasn’t here and now, least when Kaijo’s ace was still a crying mess in front of him.

“Ki-chan… Shin-chan is an idiot, but you know you can be honest with me. Don’t change the topic. Are you and Kasamatsu-san…?”

“I… I didn’t want to talk about it right in front of him, but I do trust you, Takaocchi. It’s hard to explain. It’s not that I’m crazy about him like you and Midorima, but… I don’t know. I can copy everything in this world, I can imitate all of his girl’s movements, looks and sounds, but there’s one thing I cannot change for Kasamatsu-senpai to notice me. I can’t tell him anything, because we’ll just end up being friends if everything goes fine. He’s not interested in being with men, I know that. It’s sad, you know? At least in your situation we know the other person’s interested, even if they’ve been perpetually closeted.”

“Does he know you are…?”

“Does Midorimacchi knows about you?”

“Well, we’ve never talked about it directly, but I assume he noticed at some point.”

“There you have it, then. If senpai knows, he doesn’t need to suspect that I… that he… well, that I like him.” Kise admitted shyly and hid his embarrassment showing on his face with both hands.

“What’s the worst that could happen, sincerely? Up until now, he’s never judged you or turned his back on you. I don’t think anything will change if he says no.” Takao crossed his arms and watched form the corner of his eye as Shin-chan approached the table once again.

“Aren’t you talking out of experience, Takaocchi?” For the first time since he sat at the table, Kise was smiling brightly again.

“You need to give it some time. After all, watching Shin-chan being kind is nothing you can achieve in just a few hours.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Takao? Let’s go. Kise, pick up your stuff. Your sister’s car is at the entrance. How long have you been sitting there?”

“Eh?! How did Matsuri-neechan knew we were here? Did you call her, Midorimacchi?”

“I don’t have her number.” There was some sort of guilt and complicity in Shin-chans tone, though.

His trip to the restroom had taken longer than expected, and even if it was possible that Matsuri Kise had changed numbers in four years, Takao suspected Midorima had something to do with all of this. Ryouta bid his farewell and rushed to meet his gorgeous blonde sibling, who was slightly older than them. The girl turned several heads when she stood out from her flaming red sports car (Kazunari’s sights included, much to Shintaro’s annoyance). Matsuri greeted him from afar and Midorima returned the gesture, but the woman pushed his crying brother inside the car and disappeared from sight in just a second.

Midorima sat in front of his friend, who looked at him with a naughty smile on his lips while the green haired boy finished the last bits of the fruitcake. After a few seconds, Takao noticed Kise had left without paying for his tea or Kasamatsu’s coffee.

“Don’t bother.” Shintaro said when Takao was about to call him. “I’ve already paid the bill.”

“Wow, so kind. That’s slighly off putting coming from you… then you’ll keep denying you were the one who called Ki-chan’s sister just because you’re ashamed of being nice with him?”

“Unfortunately, I trully do not have Matsuri-san’s number. I lost it when you threw my old phone into the sauna last year.” Midorima turned into the window and Takao noted there was a tint of pride on Shin-chan, the kind of pride only children have when they’d made something mischievous.

“Buuuuut…”

Midorima frowned and blushed while he avoided facing Takao.

“I may or may not have the number of a Yukio Kasamatsu between my contacts because of you.”

Takao kept smiling even if surprised, and Shintaro explained he just called to inform him that they’d found Kise alone and sad at a café.

“I think he was the one who called Matsuri-san. I can assume that telling him one has to be a responsible senpai even if he’d already graduated must have bothered him a bit.”

“Ouch! Smear some salt in the wounds…” Kazunari laughed, but Midorima returned a short smile. I’m proud, Shin-chan. You were really kind to Kise! I don’t care what people say or what you think about yourself, you’re a very nice person. I like you a lot when you’re like this.”

The greenhead backed off a little and Takao noticed how his face turned from a slightly pinkish hue into bright and deep crimson. He himself couldn’t stop from blushing when he thought about the words that had just escaped his mouth and tried to mend the issue immediately. Shintaro just shook his head and insisted they should get back quickly.

Kazunari followed him to the bus station and they headed back to Tokyo in complete and awkward silence between them that lasted almost an hour. In between, Takao remembered those times where Shin-chan’s amicable side had taken the best of him. How many times had he seen him helping elderly people on the streets? or that tie they thought the neighborhood’s children how to play basket? Midorima had been the most patient and loving teacher, even more than Takao himself or even Kuroko. He could not forget that there was no birthday celebration in which Shin-chan did not take a gift for the party, or that there was no lucky item he didn’t replace or return in pristine confitions whenever someone lent it to him.

In some particular cases, Takao remembered that time he worked as an intermediary so that Momoi would think twice about leaving Touou, something Aomine would be secretly and eternally grateful to him. Or that time Murasakibara was visiting the city for Kuroko’s birthday. The giant and Kagami had finally found some common ground to bake a present for the phantom player, but there were some missing ingredients for the cake. Midorima obliged Takao to leave the party together in order to search for that day’s lucky item and discreetly bring the missing ingredients from Atsushi’s recipe.

Shintaro Midorima was an extremely kind man, even if he wanted to admit it or not. The strongest evidence of it was the hawkeye sitting besides him, who noticed after a long time of silence that Shintaro was offering him some candies from a small box he had acquired while he waited for Takao to finish his shopping at the manga store. He was shy and dumb on expressing his feelings, but he evidently didn’t want to spend any more time in that awkward situation. In just three years, Midorima had finally learned how to take the initiative to mend a problem.

Takao smiled and they began talking and bickering like they always did.

_I’m truthfully so proud of you, Shin-chan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting gayer each time. We'll get to the slow and painful romance in a few chaps. Watch us next week with: Shin-chan is also a HSK. Takao likes that.


	5. Someone dear to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Midorima acts as a High Spec Boyfriend || Takao finds Shin-chan's old photos.
> 
> (Probably has some mistakes, will check again tomorrow morning.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'VE. BEEN. SO. FREAKING. BUSY. UGH! I practically rewrote half of the chapter and I didn't expect to have so much work in rl these past two weeks, but I had no time to do the edits! I don't even know what happened! Agh! I hope to have the next one for wednesday, it's quite shorter, but I may take some time so that I can write the missing chapters before posting the next ones. I'm so sorry u_u  
> *listens to KnB character songs to feel better and cries a lot*

Midorima wasn’t too fond of taking the subway, but he refused to pedal all the way to Akihabara and back just to get one of Takao’s dumb card game things. They wasted all of their evening looking around the shops for a goddamned special edition box he wanted for his collection after Takao was done with his language classes and the night had already fallen on them by the time they made it to the station. By the time they reached the station, dusk was setting and it painted the sky in bright orange, pink and violet.

Reluctantly, he followed Takao downstairs and let him pay for his ticket, then they waited for around ten minutes standing, in hopes of an empty train. Takao groaned, as it was crowded and impossible to get inside with a large guy like Midorima. They’d have to wait for around half an hour for the emptier trains to come. Kazunari was not impatient, but situations like this made his tolerance burn out quickly. Strangely enough, Midorima seemed calm about it.

“I thought you hated the subway, why are you so relaxed?”

“There’s nothing we can do now but wait. Worst you can do in a situation like this is losing your temper. Besides, I enjoy riding the subway when it’s not crowded, it leaves me time to think.” He admitted, while he pulled from Takao’s arm towards a steel bench so that they could sit as they waited. He took out the novel Takao had bought him from that time in Kanagawa and remained silent while reading. He usually didn’t like reading manga, nor any of those strange recommendations Takao usually made, but he occasionally gifted him impressing stories like this one. Even if was a little bit of an otaku, Takao had really good taste about the series he picked for others. The shorter boy sighed and crashed against the bench, sitting besides Midorima with his legs crossed. He decided to watch the passersby, as they tried to jump inside the wagons during rush hour when the train arrived at the station.

Occasionally, he checked his phone to look at the hour, after informing his mother he’d be arriving later than expected. Takao was having fun observing the people around him as they waited and Shintaro read his book in silence. He paid close attention to the details, as if trying to tell a story about every single character that passed in front of his eyes. Employees getting out of business hours, mothers picking up their children from daycare, or high schoolers like them, getting out of club activities, and college students rushing out of their evening classes to get into some bar. Those were just some boring minutes of a very nice evening that Takao wished he could have spent some other way.

“It’s getting really late.” He said, checking it was around 9 pm.

“My house is closer than your apartment. You can stay if you want.” Midorima offered, not raising his sight from the book.

“I dunno. I have to get up early tomorrow to go to my classes… haha what a nerd! tomorrow’s saturday and I can only think about my classes, how awful.”

“I’ll put your futon closer to the door so you won’t wake me up. You can take my bike if you want. You can bring it back by noon and then I’ll help you finish next week’s homework.” Midorima said, reading calmly.

“You’re being awfully nice.” Takao suspected of him and rose an sceptic eyebrow. Mischieviously, he leaned towards him and forcefully removed the book from Midorima’s hands. “I think I’m actually rubbing on you. What’s with you?”

“It’s got nothing to do with you. Oha Asa said that being kind to people dear to you would bring Cancer best luck for the rest of the weekend.” He said coldly, trying to retrieve his book from Takao’s grip.

“...dear to you?” The words sounded so alien on Midorima’s lips it escaped all comprehension from Takao’s mind. “I-is there someone dear to you, Shin-chan?”

“Well, yes, of course.” Midorima blinked several times, as if he was trying to comprehend why Takao was asking for something so stupidly obvious. On some occasions during their years on Teiko, Aomine would joke around and tell people he was some sort of unfeeling machine, but it actually hurt to imagine Takao thought the same thing nowadays. Because of his response, Takao suspected they weren’t on the same frequency. “My parents, my sister, Netsu… you, to some degree.”

“Yeah, we’re talking about completely different things here, Shin-chan. I was… thinking maybe you… have someone special? We never talk about those things…”

“Hmmm…” Takao didn’t actually expect an answer, but seeing Midorima think about the topic made the shorter boy panic for a second. Fortunately, Shintaro didn’t seem to notice.“I guess I hadn’t put much thought into it. For the time being, I guess I do not.”

_Ah, what a relief… and what a disappointment at the same time._

“What about you?”

“M-me?” Takao looked around, trying to escape from answering such a thing. Perhaps Midorima was just being polite, part of that ‘be kind with those dear to you’ thing, but him asking such things didn’t help Takao at all. “Well… y-yeah. I’ve not told that person, though. I don’t think they’ll be interested in me.”

“Hmmm, how odd. I always thought you’d be a bit more confident in yourself.” Midorima didn’t say anything else, but Takao returned the book to him without further ado.

He resumed his previous task of observing the people around him, hoping Shintaro wouldn’t fall back into the same topic as before, a conversation he had initially started and now regretted completely. Parents were pulling their children hand in hand. A group of friends were toying around on the hall. A foreigner couple was sharing a tender but passionate kiss on the waiting line, dragging a bit of the very traditional japanese onlookers’ attention, who weren’t accustomed to public displays of affection. Two high-school students were holding hands as they managed to squeeze their way inside the wagon and the boy wrapped his arms around the girl’s shoulder to bring her inside with him

 _Ah… I need to stop doing this. You’re a freaking masochist and you know it, Kazunari_.

The mental images from his observation session were torturing him, joint with the previous conversation- He knew he was getting himself deep down in the mood, but he had to know it. He had to bring it up into their conversation and he had to remove every doubt from his mind about this topic.

“Shin-chan, have you ever had a girlfriend?”

“Not really. Kindergarten girlfriends don’t count.” He admitted and frowned, but didn’t mind Takao’s question.

“... a boyfriend, then?” Takao teased, but Midorima didn’t even flinch. He barely rose his head from the page and turned to the side to stare at Takao. It was weird, he was behaving surprisingly normal for all the implications that past question held on itself. The prude and shy Midorima Takao knew would have thrown his book straight to his face. It was pretty well known that Shin-chan had a tendency to overreact at the smallest of provocation, but he looked like he was having a time to think about the question.

“No. I think I never put my mind into something like that, actually.” Oblivious of Takao’s thoughts and feelings, he closed the book for a while and looked at him, estranged. “Why are you asking?”

“I’m curious on how is it that Shin-chan displays affection.” Takao chuckled and hugged his knees. “I’ve seen you with Megumi-chan, with your mom… even with my sister, you’re very kind and gentle, but… I wonder. How would you treat a person very, very dear to you?”

“I don’t have much experience on that field. Not that I care much about it, either.” Midorima admitted, crossing both his hands over his lap with his thumb marking the page he had left on, possibly waiting for all of this to be over soon.

“So… what would happen if I challenged you to do it?” Takao asked, in a more serious tone he had wanted to speak. “It’d be pretty much out of your comfort zone, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, because I don’t have anyone to whom I can be affectionate, to begin with.” For a moment, Takao thought that perhaps Midorima was doing all of it on purpose, just to hurt him for overstepping his boundaries and to punish him for the stupid challenges.

“You could try… with me.”

Takao really liked sticking his hands into the flames.

“You’re a guy.” Midorima answered as if Takao was the dumbest person in this planet.

“...so?” Midorima was quite dull at social situations, but Takao was getting pissed he wasn’t getting a hint about the implications of his request. He peeped up as best as he could and proceeded to defy his friend with something Takao knew was a completely selfish wish. “You said I’m sorta dear to you, aren’t I? Show me, just to get it out of my head… what would you do if you and i were…?”

“Really? There are people around…”

“They won’t notice, it’s not like you’re gonna kiss me, or so I hope!” _Keep lying to yourself, Kazu…_ “Besides, I don’t think anyone would care.”

Takao shrugged, buying into his own lies. He wondered just how far could he take it, now that Shin-chan had also suggested to let him stay home. Was he really that desperate to get his minimum displays of affection? Takao felt slightly grossed by himself.

“If I accept to do this, you’ll get me my lucky items until the Inter-High.”

“I’ll get them until we graduate from college.” Takao begged, staring intensely at his eyes with morbid curiosity. Midorima sighed and nodded in acceptance, resuming his reading and telling Takao they should be taking the next train that comes. Takao agreed and waited in silence, his heart beating as if it was about to burst out of his chest as they waited in silence.

The next train announced it’s arrival with a loud noise and Midorima rose his eyes, standing up immediately afterwards. He took Takao’s hand, who was currently distracted, and pulled him from the bench with a gentle nod on the shoulder. Takao seemed surprised, but Midorima urged him to move by passing an arm around his shoulder and pushing him inside the wagon. Takao fixed his position inside the crowded train, avoiding crashing against the people who were getting off on the next stop, and Midorima followed right behind him. This wagon was emptier than the ones that passed before that one, but there were still a bunch of people besides them. Shintaro finally caught up with him and he immediately grabbed his forearm so that they’d not be split apart during the rest of their journey. They remained standing, with barely any space between them.

“Are you OK?” Shintaro asked, grabbing a hold of the metal bar to keep his balance.

“Y-yes, I’m sorry it’s too crowded, I know you hate it…”

“It’s fine, Kazu, don’t worry.”

Midorima was already playing his part as a High Spec Boyfriend, Takao could notice. He knew how awkward it made him feel, though, because Shin-chan glanced away from him at all moments he spoke and blushed wildly, which made Takao smile coyly.

“Just don’t fall, please. Hold on to me if you want. There’s still a long way to go, so lean into me.” Midorima threw one hand around his waist and closed the space between them. Out of instinct, Takao held him with one arm, keeping his hold on the bar with the other. He leaned lightly against his chest, blushing wildly.

“You’re actually trying really hard, aren’t you?”

“I’d not like the person dear to me to arrive late at home. I’d not like them to get injured from tripping on the subway. It’s only natural.” Midorima explained, pulling Takao closer.

Takao gulped when he felt his friend’s arms behind his back. It was a very intimate gesture, extremely so for someone like Shin-chan. But the warmth emanating from his body and his unusual tenderness were far too much for Takao, who felt like he was about to melt on his arms.

“T-thanks, Shin-chan.”

“This is just supposing you were… you know.” Kazunari felt the texture of the bandages on Shintaro’s left hand atop of his, letting go of the metal bar. He felt as if his heart was about to burst when Takao when their fingers latched.

“Does it bother you?”

Takao shook his head and enjoyed the sensation, still his mind reminded him he was being a masochist and this was nothing but a painful and fleeting moment. He couldn’t say he didn’t feel guilty about doing something like this to Midorima. The green haired boy was so oblivious he hadn’t noticed Takao was pulling the strings for this whims to be satisfied. Or perhaps Midorima was even smarter than he looked and he was the one manipulating Takao’s feelings. What a cruel way of playing around. He knew he’d get addicted to these kind of affections with just one taste, and once his hopes had gotten way too high, the crash and burn would be incredibly painful. Maybe this was a way to show him just how much in control Midorima was of those silly challenges of his.

It had been almost an entire hour since they parted until they reached their stop, still holding hands. Kazunari had relaxed so much at some point that he had dozed off on his friend’s arms. It wasn’t until the taller one patted him on the face that he woke up and they descended from the train. On their way out of the station and the walk back to Midorima’s home, they were still walking with their fingers latched. Midorima was oddly calm, as if everything was the way it was supposed to, but Takao couldn’t help but feel his face burning in embarrassment. Fortunately, the streets were empty by the time they reached Shintaro’s house, and his family didn’t seem to be at home at the time. Kazunari swallowed again, remembering his original plan of crashing at his place for tonight. He hadn’t expected that everything would have detonated like it did when Midorima first suggested it.

“Can you stay for dinner?” Midorima asked before opening the door and either letting him in or waving goodbye. “Netsu hasn’t seen you in a while, I’m sure she misses her dad.”

“Oh my god, Shin-chan! you’re too much...! All of this, it’s too much! Oh my god, no, I can’t even…!”

“You’re withdrawing from the challenge, then?” Midorima had some sort of prideful and arrogant tone on his voice that annoyed Takao so much. However, for the first time in two years and three months, Midorima had a perfectly good reason to be condescending with him.

“No… I just didn’t think… gah! You’re way too good at this!”

“Come inside, please. If you don’t want to stay I’ll walk you home later or call you a taxi, whichever you prefer, Kazu.” He closed the door behind them, and after taking his shoes off, he took Takao by the shoulders to let him inside.

As expected on a friday night, the house was empty. Megumi-chan should be staying with her nanny and Shintaro’s parents should be out for dinner after work. Netsu was the only one at his place and she was playing around with the living room's furniture. His parents had left him some food for dinner but it’d not be enough for the two of them. As it was known, it was prohibited for him to get close to the kitchen without adult supervision, even if Midorima said he’d like to prepare something, that would be a terrible idea, so it’d be better if they ordered something. Pizza would do.

As they waited for the food to arrive, the green-haired boy helped Takao study for a while. His explanations were more patient and his voice was softer when Takao asked for him to repeat himself. It didn’t imply his tolerance towards Takao’s usual distractions had broadened, but he didn’t show too much annoyance when he scolded Takao for his lack of concentration. Instead, he was supportive and comprehensive, asking him to continue so that they’d be done sooner than later. Takao stared at him with amazed eyes, because he turned into a completely different man than the one he usually knew.

“Will you be staying for tonight?” Shintaro asked, after they finished their math homework and Takao packed up his books on his bag. The pizza had arrived just a few minutes ago, but it was getting late and he’d eventually have to decide whether he should stay or go back home. “I’d like to offer you to stay on the bed, but something tells me you’d not give me any other option and you’re going to ask me to bring out the futon.

“You’re not thinking we… should s-sleep together, are you?”, Takao smiled nervously, but Midorima made a bothered gesture and sighed with disappointment.

“Not through out first night together, Kazu.”

“GAH! S-sh-shut up, Shin-chan! L-let’s not fight for the bed and just place two futons on the floor, side by side!”

“Good idea. We won’t have to share, but we can stay together.”

“I’ve not told my parents yet... I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Takao answered with honesty and a strong blush that even reached his ears.

“It is making you uncomfortable. Let’s stop now, ok?.”

“No! it’s not that, Shin-chan… you just took me by surprise! You’re too nice, even if you’re still same-old quirky Shin-chan! I… I think anybody would be lucky to have you as their partner.”

Midorima shrugged as his face turned a pale tone of pink. He poured more soda on their glasses and proposed they continued the puzzle they had been doing since the last time Takao visited his house, after the boy had told his mother he’d stick with the Midorima’s for the weekend. The puzzle had stayed on the same place where they left them, and Shintaro had taken care that Netsu wouldn’t play around with the pieces by covering it with a blanket. The raven-haired boy laid on his stomach and searched around for the puzzle pieces in order to continue their task, and Midorima sat besides him to help.

They remained silent for some time, in which only the soft purrs coming from Netsu’s chest could be heard. She rested besides Takao, and Midorima stretched his fingers to caress the kitten, but to the shorter boy’s surprise, his fingers ran across the locks of dark hair with gentleness. Takao tilted his head towards the affections and he let his face rest against his friend’s bandaged hand, until he noticed they had gone with it for a while and decided to let go, both blushing violently out of embarrassment. Takao felt his heart was beating so loud that even Shintaro would be able to hear it now.

_It’s just a stupid challenge… just a stupid challenge._

“I’ve not asked you… what are you doing at the fitness center?” Midorima said, trying to break the tension away. Even so, he felt quite curious about Takao’s new regime that left him pummeled for the days to come.

“Oh, it’s… it’s a really strange training. Inazuma-kun gave me the idea when he mentioned his first challenge was joining a friendly match against the volleyball team. His idea was trying to find new ideas he could use for basket through their practices, something fresh and different from what we’re used to do.” Takao explained and smiled that goofy smirk of his. “I found this little course on physical conditioning, but the coach at the fitness center sets some interesting routines that have to do with kinetic conditioning. That is, training on how to use your own body. Coach Nakajima’s training consists on learning the basics of a different sport every two weeks, to learn the main elements and add them to our usual exercise routines. So far we’ve done capoeira and parkour. This week we’ll be doing some water sports, I think. After I’m done with those lessons, I take two hours of yoga.”

“Yoga, really?” Midorima asked, he had not imagined Takao would be taking up something like that as extra classes. He’d have not expected two hours of yoga would have infiltrated on his already lacking free time. If he made some quick numbers, Takao had been doing twelve hours of extra practice every week besides his training for the team. He began to worry slightly, maybe he was overexerting himself with all this.

“Yeah, it’s fun! Don’t make that worried face, I’ve done yoga all my life. It’s a bit demanding in comparison, but it helps me relax my body after the usual training. It’s helped a lot to manage my stress levels and improved my flexibility.” Midorima stared at him even more confused and Takao laughed very loud at his amazement. He explained that it was not something anyone could do, but it had worked quite nicely for him. “I practiced it with my sister when we were children, but I quit it for basket when I entered middle school. Actually, I took back the lessons when I first met you, if I have to be honest. I needed an escape so that I’d not tell you to go screw yourself.”

Midorima had a guilty expression on his eyes, but Takao shook his head and gifted him a smile that seemed to assure him it was all in the past. Midorima smiled slightly and continued on his puzzle-solving task.

“Hey, Shin-chan, why don’t you come with me tomorrow? They give out the first class for free, maybe you’ll like it! You can meet Coach if you come.”

“Water sports, huh?” Midorima pondered, trying to catch the little cat from jumping into the puzzle. Someone had opened the main door on the lower floor and the cat was ready to greet them. Takao grabbed a hold of her and put her far away from the puzzle, letting her run downstairs in a hurry “I’m not doing yoga, though.”

“It’s better that way. The instructor is quite strict and she’d not hold back on slapping your butt if you’re too clumsy or you look good in yoga pants!” Kazunari laughed but Midorima shook his head, ashamed.

After they kept doing the puzzle for another half an hour, Takao began to feel tiredness creeping through his body.Midorima agreed it was time to leave the puzzle be and he stood up, helping Takao on his feet as well.

“I’ll go fetch the extra futon from the closet on the wall. Can you take the one on the top of the shelves? You can take on of my shirts for bed, if you wish.”

Takao nodded and walked to his friend’s closet. Midorima’s room was large enough to fit three mattresses without an issue, but the problem was that the futon was placed way too high. Takao dragged a small stool to stand and take the side of the futon.

_Dammit Shin-chan, have some compassion! You are 2 metres tall! Think about short people for a second!_

His hands managed to grasp the futon sheets and he pulled from them. As he dragged it down, the raven-haired boy couldn’t help but look at the decorations on the closet door. He rarely saw the interior of his friend’s furniture, because he hated people touching his stuff -something Takao had learned the harsh way during their first year. However, now that he had personally asked Takao for help, he was right in front of a few photos stuck to the wooden door with colorful pins. One of them in particular made Takao’s heart skip a beat. There were some he’d seen on Kuroko’s house at a party a few years ago, from their time at Teiko, and another one they had taken after Seirin’s triumph on their first year. Together there were some other photos where he appeared, one besides Miyaji, Kimura and Ootsubo senpai, and another one from last year’s team, with Yuuya, Inazuma and Tae-chan. There were even two pictures from the small concrete court they had revamped and painted with the rest of the Miracles and their friends, where the colorful overalls covered in paint were used for the first and last time.

Takao took one last photo from the wooden door, surprised to find it within Shin-chan’s most precious memories. It was a picture of the two of them that Kise had taken without their knowledge, as they talked on Kagami’s balcony the last day day of summer from the previous year. They had moved away from the guests under Shintaro's insistence, and Kazunari had been trying to show him a new song he had just heard on the radio earlier that week. Midorima was smiling slightly with his can of Shiruko on his hand and Takao was holding the other to drag his attention. Takao had asked Kise for the photograph at all costs the moment he saw it on the camera’s display, but Midorima ordered him to erase it immediately. According to the things Kazu had seen that evening, the photo had disappeared forever.

Yet, it was there, right in front of his eyes, printed in a very nice and expensive photographic paper that had Kise’s name written all over it -a message on the back of the paper that read _For Midorimacchi and Takaocchi, hopefully_ , showed him as the culprit. Kazunari swallowed nervously. He made sure to put it back on its place and that the tacks matched their original spot. Takao picked one of Shin-chan’s old shirts to wear as pajamas before going to bed.

He walked to the bathroom to get changed, his face burning with excitement and a few tears of joy contained behind his pale eyes. He went back inside the room with the long shirt tied around his waist and the sleeves rolled up his shoulders, to find his friend buttoning his school shirt off, just before laying down on the mattress and with the lights already off. Takao didn’t avert his eyes, as they were more than used to see each other half naked on the locker room, but he couldn’t help but stare for a couple of seconds at the beautiful body right in front of him. Ah, Takao felt that if he had another strong emotion he’d turn into a love-struck school girl that day, it made him so angry at himself that he decided to turn around and fix his backpack.

“You found the photograph…” Midorima assured, quite ashamed as he finished to spread the futons on the floor and set himself atop of his.

“I’m sorry I snooped around, Shin-chan.”

“I knew you would, don’t apologize. Kise said he printed another copy, I can tell him to mail it. I… I don’t know why I wanted to keep it, but…”

Kazunari swallowed and let himself fall on the empty futon. Just as he had said, Shin-chan had placed them side by side, but one of them was closer to the door. Midorima sighed, maybe buying into his own lies of acting as the perfect boyfriend for tonight.

“...but I liked the photo. I don’t dislike having a proof of our… whatever it is we have between the two of us.”

“Shin-chan, I…”

“Don’t say anything… let’s go to sleep.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Sleep tight, Kazu.” He said with a soft and low growl. Takao could swear, in the darkness of the room they shared, Shintaro had stretched his hand to grab his when he was falling asleep. Kazunari had a lot of trouble falling asleep, but the beautiful image of Shintaro sleeping peacefully right in front of him was way better than a full night of rest.

_I’d give everything in this world to be able to wake up like this, by your side, each and every single one of my living days..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch us next time: Coach Nakajima is cool and he *knows* stuff || Swimwear.


	6. Sheer Force and Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promtps: Introducing Coach Nakajima, who knows more than he should || God bless sleek swimsuits and yoga pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, finally finished a chapter (somewhat) on time. I think I might take some time to update the next one, because I need to finish the story up. I might take next week off to finish this pending business, but I hope I can do both. I won't promise anything, tho. This chapter is slightly focused mostly on Shin-chan's perspective and we start to see some interesting points about the relationship from his side~

Takao woke up half an hour earlier than Midorima and decided it’d be better to prepare lunch and a light breakfast as soon as possible. He went downstairs and was greeted by Shintaro’s mother on the kitchen. w¿The woman helped him with on early task as she provided some interesting cooking tips for bento Takao had no idea were so essential to keep Midorima satisfied with his meal.

“He likes cherry tomato rather than tomato itself and he greatly dislikes red pepper.” The beautiful brunette woman with thick glasses similar to those of her son instructed. Even if Midorima was a living copy of his father, he also gave a striking resemblance to his mother, specially those big and bespectacled green eyes with incredibly long eyelashes. Miyuki placed some sliced vegetables over a bed of lettuce, besides his serving of rice. Takao knew Midorima was a picky eater, but knowing such things would be useful to make his diet more enjoyable.

Takao nodded and asked Miyuki-san for more of her son’s tastes. The woman smiled kindly, as every young mother did, suggesting that she was aware of many things Kazunari would rather not have her knowing just yet. They continued chatting until the grumpy teen in question walked downstairs and stopped cold on his tracks when he caught his best friend chatting harmoniously with his mother about how quirky Midorima could be, even with food.

“Would you two stop dissing me now that I’m here? Good morning, mother… Takao, what the hell are you doing?”

The pleasure of having Midorima act as a perfect boyfriend had evidently run off already. He couldn’t hide his disappointment, but Takao reminded himself that had been their deal and smiled, showing him the bento boxes proudly.

“Paying you back for being so nice to me yesterday. Here, I made you pancakes, your mother taught me how to make them!” Takao handed him the plate, which was decorated by raspberries Midorima recognized had been hand-picked from his mother’s garden. She clearly knew her son liked freshly picked fruit for breakfast, and now it was more than likely Takao knew this little secret because his mother didn’t like keeping silent in front of the ever-friendly Kazunari. She always insisted Takao was a good influence of him, and treated the boy as if he were another son on the family. A part of him was bothered by this fact, but another one was glad his mother was such a good hostess for their household, in contrast with him and his very austere father.

“Aren’t you supposed not to have meals before exercising? Mostly if you’re getting into a pool?” Midorima asked, but he had to admit the pancakes looked and smelled delicious, so it’d be a shame if he weren’t able to eat them because of their upcoming plans.

“Yeah, but we’re going for a jog before heading out for the sports center, which is at least half an hour from here. Then, the coach asks us to do some warming up before giving some instructions and then we get to the pool. By then we’ll have no problem, I think” Takao sat besides him and prepared his pancakes with jam and honey. Midorima  and Takao secretly shared a liking for sweets and both had a severe case of sweet tooth, but this time Takao was getting out of line.

“I see. I noticed you packed your bag already, but I’m having a problem once we get there.” Midorima fixed his glasses and Takao immediately thought he might be talking about his eyesight beneath the water. However, that didn’t seem to bother him much at the moment, because he talked about his worry with a large blush on his cheeks. “I do no longer fit on the swimsuit I own, it’s been a while since we practiced at the gym’s pool..”

“But we went on that beach trip together… oh, right, you were wearing trunks and Kagami pulled from them accidentally and they got lost at sea… -Takao tried to hold his laughter, but Shintaro’s killing stare made him burst. -Ah, don’t worry, they can lend you one, or we can buy one at the club’s store if you’re more comfortable with it. I’m sure they have your size, don’t fret.”

“Fine, then.” Midorima agreed, sighing deeply. “Do you think it’ll actually help? I’m conscious swimming tones your muscles but…”

“Oh, we’re not doing relay swimming or speed practice, normal stuff like that. We usually toy around most of the times trying new things. It’s kinetic training, so doing something in the water might be interesting. Knowing the kind of training the coach likes, my best guess is we’ll be playing water polo.” Takao stopped for a second and stared at him with worry. “Uh, you do know how to swim, right?”

“Of course. I’m not the best at it, but I know the basics.” Midorima sighed, hoping none of them would get some serious cramping from the heavy meal Takao had just prepared. “I see… water polo may be fitting to your original purpose, it adds the water’s resistance to the challenge of scoring points. I say we have a one-on-one after you’re done with yoga, just to see if it helped.”

“Man, I’m going to die from exercising too much.” Takao complained, but he was still smiling. “If I can’t train on monday, you’ll be interine captain for the week. You’ll carry my legacy to the new generations and take care of my precious children , won’t you, Shin-chan?”

“You know I would.” He smiled shyly and placed a hand on Takao’s shoulder to help himself up. “Now, get ready to leave or we’re going to be late.”

Midorima stood up from the chair and handed the dishes to his mother, who gave him a farewell kiss that made Shintaro blush. He turned around and walked upstairs towards his room to fetch his and Takao’s bags. Kazunari watched their interactions and smiled warmly, unaware that Miyuki-san was staring back at him after a few seconds. Once Shintaro had vanished from their sight, she laughed very discreetly, but managed to drag Takao’s attention to her.

“I’ve never seen Shintaro so motivated. I must assume it’s your fault, Takao-kun? He’s told me about these challenges you’ve been putting him through for the past months. I’m happy he’s trying out new things… just don’t overdo it.”

“I won’t, Miyuki-san. Thanks for trusting Shin-chan to me.”

“He’s really fond of you, you know? Shintaro really l… could you wait a second?”

A loud stomping noise could be heard coming from the living room. His mother disappeared behind the door and Takao could hear her worried voice coming from the other side, in a deep but muffled conversation with her tired and almost ever-absent husband.  After a few seconds, the woman came back into the kitchen with Dr. Midorima, a tall man with bright green hair and light brown eyes, that even from the subtle differences between them, he looked a lot like his son. The biggest difference between them were the wrinkles around his tired eyes and some pale green hairs on his temple. Both men were strong and certainly elegant, though, and they shared the same furrowed brow accompanied with a calm expression on their faces.

“I’ve received an emergency call from the hospital, I hope I’ll be able to make it back for dinner.” He told Miyuki as his wife adjusted the red tie around his neck with a serene smile on her lips. The doctor picked up his portfolio and walked towards the entrance  almost ignoring Takao’s presence on the kitchen. Nevertheless, the man did turn around  when he had one hand on the doorknob and patted the boy with the hawkeye on the shoulder.

“Good to see you around, boy. It’s been a while, Takao-kun.”

“Good morning, sir.” Midorima Senior offered him a look that made Takao uneasy. Perhaps it was the fact that he was still wearing his son’s t-shirt and he was there, on the kitchen, at 7 am in the morning of a Saturday, drinking coffee with his best friend’s mother while said boy was not present at the moment.

“Have a good day, everyone.” He said and kissed his wife and daughter on the forehead. He spoke out loud to make sure Shintaro also listened the message. He opened the backdoor that lead to the garage, but he stopped abruptly and popped his head back into the kitchen. “Honey, why isn’t the TV on?” Shinzen asked with concern, making Yukiko-san jump on her feet for a second as she thought he had already walked into his car. She screeched and almost let go of Megumi’s bento box atop of the little girl’s emerald hair.

“Oh…! Shintaro didn’t put in on today! He was busy talking with Takao-kun he forgot to---”

Just as they spoke, Midorima rushed from upstairs towards the kitchen, almost stepping on Netsu on his way down. He evaded her gracefully and dodged his mother as if she were an opponent on the court and took the remote control from Takao’s  hands. He turned the TV on and zapped through the channels until he reached Ohayo Asahi’s morning horoscope.

_We have Cancer on fourth place for today. You will have very good luck today, as long as you pay close attention to your surroundings. Getting into fights with Aquarius is a negative for today, but Taurus will be very flexible and understanding. Today’s color: black. Today’s number: 5. Today’s lucky item: Swimming goggles!_

“Look at that, you just got lucky, Shin-chan!”

* * *

 

The sports center was just thirty minutes away from Shintaro’s house, as Takao had said. It was a large place with an indoors pool and a couple of soccer and tennis courts out in the open. They had large saloons for dance classes, yoga and martial arts. On the upper floor were the exercising machines and the infirmary. Takao explained there were basketball hoops at some point, but they removed them sometime before he started coming, Yet, eh knew they had an amateur team that gathered at nights and practiced at some other place. 

Kazunari introduced him to the receptionist, not without smiling seductively at the girl and flirting with her for a few seconds. The woman blushed almost immediately, and Shintaro rolled his eyes and grunted in desperation. Takao laughed out loud.

“As jealous as always, Shin-chan~ Come on, you know yesterday was just a fleeting moment of weakness, don’t be like that.”

The girl stared at them confused and her blush deepened even more. Shintaro smiled to himself, as if he had just won a trophy.

“Of course, you know it’d have never worked. I don’t think you could handle more than one night with me, Bakao.”

The girl let out a silent scream that Takao didn’t hear because he bursted into laughter again. He patted his friend of the back and toyed around with him as he tried to tickle his ribs, insisting they should head to the locker room so that he could meet with the coach as soon as possible. Shintaro observed how the girl was impressed and in just a second she had flipped her phone and was texting furiously, possibly some strange rumors about Kazunari. Shintaro smiled slightly and walked behind Takao towards the gym, with a strange sensation of triumph on his chest.

Nakajima was a joung man, not much older than the two of them, but nearing his thirties already. He was tall and athletic with a mane of auburn hair tied in a ponytail. He smiled when he saw Takao and rushed to grab him by the neck and ruffled his dark hair roughly. Kazunari laughed and introduced his friend as soon as he was released. Nakajima immediately offered a hand as he introduced himself and insisted Shintaro didn’t need to be so formal around him when he bowed his head down as a sign of respect.

“Ah, I see! You’re that friend the midget has been blabbering about for the past month! For all the things he talks about you, it almost looks like a miracle that Takao managed to bring you here.”

“Yeah! he’s a little bit harsh to deal with, but he’s a great guy once you get to know him. Let me introduce you! Shin-chan, this is Coach Isamu Nakajima, he’s in charge of our training. Coach, this is Shintaro Midorima, my best friend and partner at Shuutoku H---”

“Wait, wait! Midorima? _Your_ Shin-chan is _that_ Shintaro Midorima?! The one from the Generation of Miracles?!  Now I know where I’ve seen you before, Takao! you both were featured in Sports Illustrated Japan, there was a small section about ‘the Miracles’ partners or something like that… it didn’t make you a lot of justice…” He laughed.

“I thought you were not a big fan of High school basketball, coach… but yeah, it's true!I think I never talked about Shin-chan by his last name.”

“... _your_ Shin-chan?” The green haired boy asked as he arched a brow. Out of every part of the conversation, eh had to get caught on that.He sounded bothered for being considered some sort of possession.

“Oh, no, no, don’t take it wrong way, boy! Takao just never shut ups when he talks about you, that’s it. And yeah, I’m not much into it, but you’d have to be living under a rock if you didn’t know a word about Teiko’s Miracles, to be honest.” the coach said and shrugged, then patted both on the back and continued. “So, you’re taking a free class for today? Hah! I’ll have to put you on the same team for a while just to see how great is this teamwork of yours Takao always brags about!”

“Heh! Let’s show them, Shin-chan!”

* * *

 

Water polo was really tiring and excruciating, more than Midorima could have fathomed. His shots towards the net were perfect at first, leaving everyone, including Coach Nakajima amazed because of their range and their precision. But as the clock turned, him arms and legs became heavier each time. 

Not to mention he never considered himself the most proficient swimmer and he wasn’t good at moving around the water as he did around the court, as he had told Takao before. Thus, it was pretty easy for everyone else to steal the ball from his hands unless Takao was roaming around to act as defense. The other members of their improvised team didn’t seem to know how to help him and only Takao understood that Shin-chan was nothing out of this world and dared to approach. He looked even more human under the water. His clumsy kicks and strokes looked kinda cute, but they managed to accomplish his objective of scoring points from afar.

Now he was beginning to understand why Takao wanted to take this sort of training, now that he proved how out of shape he was as he went out of his traditional exercising methods. Shintaro was lacking physical resistance and flexibility, and he had to hone the rest of his muscles, asides from the ones he had previously focused on, like his biceps and calves.

In the end, their team won by a minimum margin of 3 points, which made Midorima slightly irritated for the rest of the evening. Takao went to the dressing rooms and headed to his yoga lessons, telling him to wait or if he wanted to head home already. However, Nakajima approached him and invited Shintaro to stay for a little longer on the pool, so that they could talk a bit more. He offered to give him some free tips still as part of his first lesson while he waited for Kazunari, so Midorima agreed and returned to the gym a few minutes later.

“Takao never once mentioned you were part of the Generation of Miracles when he spoke about you, you know?” Nakajima said, leaning towards the edge of the pool as Midorima rested for a minute to catch a breath. “I think he considers you something greater than that, he really admires you. He did say it was terrific to see you score, and now I think I understand what he meant with that.”

“He’s told me many times, and he keeps insisting he wants to make our team shine brighter than the Generation of Miracles.”

“If Takao says it, then he’ll probably make it. He’s really hot-headed, but he’s incredibly determined. I’ve never met any other student with that attitude of his.” Nakajima said and sat so that he could talk comfortably. He dipped his legs on the water and splashed Shintaro by accident. The green haired man rose his eyebrows and Nakajima laughed with a husky voice. He had heard many good things about Takao recently, mostly because the improvement was noticeable on him nowadays, but the coach seemed to have him in a very high regard.

“Takao’s an idiot.” Midorima said nonchalantly and smiled coyly to himself. Nakajima smirked back at him.

“Yes, of course he is! But he’s a stubborn idiot. He’ll make it. Takao insisted it was you who made him that way and I don’t doubt him. Getting to know you just confirmed my suspicions, but I think Takao will become greater than we’ve all expected, surpassing even his own expectations.”

Nakajima  took a deep breath and looked closely at Midorima. A pair of defiant eyes stared back at him, a frow on his eyes for the lack of glasses and his usually grumpy behavior. There were so many things he’d like to say to this miracle player before him right at that moment. In just a couple of months Takao had become some sort of little brother, and Nakajima knew quite a lot of things that he wished he wasn’t aware of. However, for the same appreciation he had taken towards the blabbering midget, he decided it was better to keep his thoughts to himself.

“I know. Kazu has far more potential than what he leads on, it’s just a matter of him learnign how to exploit it.”

_Kazu, eh?_

“The guy admires you, but he hates your guts. He wants to stay at bay with you, even surpass you, but he knows his limits and up until now he’s kept himself from trying so that he can act as your shadow. I don’t think you need to hear it from me, but that boy… he’s got chances of shining brighter than even you, if only he stopped obstructing his own talent. Midorima, you may have natural talents, but that boy… he’s also a prodigy. He’s a fast learner and he develops exponentially. If he gets his mind into something and gathers enough concentration for it, he’ll get things done out of sheer force and determination. In just a month… I’ve never seen someone get into the gist of things so quick as Takao has done.”

Midorima stared at him in confusion, unsure of what the coach was talking about.  He hadn’t said anything he had not heard before, but there seemed to be some sort of hidden message behind his words.

“He’s talked about his training and your tactics as partners. I know some bits about you because of Takao’s words… evidently you’re still two troubled teenagers underneath it all. It’s just common problems, your school, your last year, the last chance to take the trophy home… but in the end, I think you’re just a couple of idiots trying to one-up each other on which one is better or more passionate on something you both love and excel at.

“Hmm… in that regard, I guess we’re both basketball idiots.”

“Yeah! But it’s good that you’ve found each other.  Maybe you’ve not noticed, but you’ve made him grow greatly. Even if he does not look like it, Takao is a really self-conscious boy.” Midorima opened his eyes in surprise and made Nakajima laugh. “He’ always asking himself if he’s still a worthy partner for you, if he’s doing the best he can for his team and for you. He wants to keep at your level, and because of that he always pushes himself faw more than he can take. The best thing you can do to show him his efforts are not in vain is trusting him, just the same way he trusts you. Just… trust him, and you’ll se. I’m sure he’ll take your team to victory, boy.”

“Coach… one quick question.” Midorima asked before placing the goggles back on their place, signaling the conversation was over as he nodded with a still confused look on his eyes “What’s your sign?”

“Huh?” Nakajima rose an eyebrow. Then he remembered Takao had said Midorima was highly superstitious and peculiar. “I’m a Taurus.”

“Ah, I see…” Midorima smiled widely and dived back into the pool.

* * *

 

Takao returned from yoga after the promised two hours with a strange stinging sensation in one of his buttcheeks. He wished he had liet to Shin-chan about the instructor’s bad habits, but unfortunately, the spanking part was true. He made Shintaro promise they’d leave the one-on-one match for another day, perhaps at school because he felt as if the teacher had just broken his back with her bare fists.

“How was your personal training with Coach Nakajima” He asked as they walked together to the changing room. Midorima had wrapped a large towel around his shoulders to dry his hair, but Takao insisted he should take a quick shower before getting dressed to get the pool water out of his body as soon as possible.

“It was fine. He’s really kind.” Midorima acknowledged and placed the goggles on his bag, inside the compartment he had assigned for his lucky items. “I may come for a swim now and then, while you’re at yoga.”

“Oh, that’s nice! Then we can go home and play some games or study if you want!” Takao said excitedly, clapping in silence.

“It’s not a bad idea. You wanted to go home and rest, right? I guess I’ll accompany you. I’ll ask my father to pick me up when he’s on his way back from the hospital.” Midorima said and raised his voice so that Takao could hear him behind the shower door.

He heard Takao using the sink to cleanse his head and remove the sweat from his brow as he let the water erase the chlorine smell away from his skin. In just a couple of seconds he had finished washing himself and searched for his glasses with his fingers when he made his way back to the dressing room, still with his black swimsuit on.

As soon as he found them, he intended to search for the spare clothes he had brought along, but he found himself with a slightly more interesting sight. Takao was roaming around their stuff and he leaned down vigorously, sprawled atop of one of the benches so that he could reach their bags on the floor. One of his legs was slightly raised up in the air and Shintaro noticed he had a small gash on his ankle, but the curve of his backside was practically perfect and his balance didn’t waver at any point. Yoga had evidently made it’s good work on him, and now he understood why his teacher had this bad habit of spanking her students. _Specially this particular student._ Never in life had he thought he’d be grateful for however had invented yoga pants, but there he was, thanking the gods for that perfect view he enjoyed at the most inappropriate of moments. Midorima blushed, completely flustered and angry at himself, so he turned around so he could avoid staring where he wasn’t supposed to look.

“Shin-chan, I swear I have some binding tape on my backpack, but I can’t find it. Do you have some spare I could use? I seemingly hit something at the pool and I hurt my foot.”

“Do you need help?” He asked as he threw the tape at him without looking at the raven-haired boy. Almost out of instinct, he threw it precisely where he knew Takao would stretch his hand to catch it.

“Nah, it’s just a scra---”

Takao turned around slightly to face him as they spoke, but Midorima wasn’t looking in his direction. He was standing in front of one of the lockers where they had kept their belongings, as he took some valuables like his phone and his wallet. The shorter boy couldn’t help but blush as well when his eyes set on the curve of Shintaro’s back, which became even more delineated thanks to the full-legged sleek black swimsuit he was still wearing .

He couldn’t help it, it looked incredibly good on him.  It marked his long legs, strong and firm, yet graceful and elegant. Perhaps it was because of the basketball uniform, but Takao had never noticed some nice attributes the swimsuit was bringing out at the moment. He blushed even deeper. The muscles on his back were strong as well, marked around the shoulders because of the shooting exercises he always did, but the curve of his spine was the most outstanding of all. For some reason unknown to him, Takao felt the urge to run his fingers through it, but he mentally slapped himself for just thinking about it.

“T-the swimsuit looks good on you.” Takao dared to say, finally being able to turn his eyes around. Midorima blushed even more, but he smiled to himself and was slightly glad he was not the only one who had peeked out of curiosity. He felt a strange void forming on his stomach, because he could not stop thinking all day if Takao could have been looking at him with the same licentious eyes as he had previously done. Fortunately for both of them, none talked about the incident again that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like writing Shin-chan's family, specially his mother. I take her character out of one small pannel I think it's from NG-shuu where we see her mocking her son as she greets him. I think that's adorable, mostly because I can't picture him having two very strict parents as authors mostly depict them in fanfics. I like to imagine his mother is really kind and adores Takao, so she supports his crush on his son at all times.
> 
> Miyuki (美幸) means "beutiful fortune"  
> Shinzen (至善) means "highest good"  
> Megumi (恵) means "blessing"
> 
> See you next time! On our next chapter: Takao begins to show some of his exceptional abilities as the Inter High starts. Drama assures.


	7. Unable to do it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Videogames & dinner at Takao's || Kazu's talent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuugh oh god, this chapter came in too late, I'm so sorry! I took a week off to write ch 21 and part of ch 22, but I didn't consider we'd have a terrible time at work the next week! I came back home from monday to friday after 10 pm, it was terrible! And the museum was crowded during the week end, I also had to stick around for a while on saturday's morning! It was utter chaos and I'm so sorry!
> 
> Anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy.

The firsts rounds had started earlier that month and Shuutoku was doing fine so far. The three matches they had won assured them a spot on the region’s semifinals if they kept working like that, and their place on the Winter Cup was almost assured.  This year’s bracket made it so that they’d not have to face Seirin until the semi-finals  if they classified, which opened a clear path without worrisome opponens until later on, luckily for their winning streak. 

Their final matches before entering the second round was against the other veteran kings of Tokyo, which they’d be facing against the very same day. Said match wouldn’t be until thursday, but their training for the entire week had been so excruciating that every bone and muscle on Takao’s body ached. The night before the two matches, the team decided to end practice earlier so that everybody would get a good night of rest and some time to relax before the decisive moment. Of course, Midorima had tried to stay until late, but Takao scolded him from overworking himself when the instruction was to get some rest and dragged him out of the gym.

Part of his ‘do your very best’ policy should also include learning how to take a breather, something Kazunari had been trying to teach him for more than a year, but Shin-chan was stubborn when he set his mind against it. Insisting his form was already beyond perfect, missing one evening throwing balls at the hoop would not affect his technique much. Takao managed to convince him of going out to get some popsicles before splitting up, on the convenience store close to Shintaro’s house. Reluctant, Midorima agreed and packed up his things.

On their way towards the store, Takao proposed he crashed for diner, since his mother would be cooking  _ bibimbap _ tonight, a korean dish that Takao had forced on him once at a restaurant and Shin-chan couldn’t deny it was delicious. After said incident, Takao swore that he’d have to invite him when his mother cooked one of her best korean dishes, the best he had tasted in all Japan. The green haired boy  followed Takao back to his home after telling his mother he’d be staying out until late at his friend’s house. 

Midorima knew he should have stayed at the gym when Takao casually mentioned he’d not yet started a video game he’d bought last week. They’d just reached Takao’s building and, after climbing the stairs to the third floor, he stopped abruptly at the door with a large grin on his face. Without calling out names, he insisted he needed a new player 2 since Suzume had utterly refused to play with him.  Midorima rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated groan as his friend opened the door and let him walk inside the apartment. 

It wasn’t that he hated playing videogames, but he hated the particular way Takao played them: blindly running against enemies without reading instructions only got him killed and frustrated in just a couple of seconds. Not to mention he loved to play on higher difficulties than he could handle. Most of the times Midorima would end up winning if it were fighting games just for looking up the instructions, even if he wasn’t particularly good at games. Takao would get angry at him and cry out that Shin-chan was cheating, while the older boy was only trying to explain him step by step how to play the goddamned game. If it was a roleplaying game he’d end up picking the healer in case Takao, the big idiot, would jump into danger head-on. Given the fact the game he had just bought was an RPG, he knew he’d end up playing support again.

“If you want me to play along, please, please, promise me something.” Midorima said as they removed their shoes at the entrance “Swear that you’ll read the instructions. I refuse to play another game with you if you play as a 10 year old.”

“It’s no fun that way! besides, that’s how I’ve always played! Suzu likes it!”

“Suzume-san doesn’t want to play with you anymore. Maybe you should put some thought into that.” Midorima answered, pestered. Takao laughed and shook his head, admitting he usually played like that  just to bother his siste. Contrary to Midorima’s original belief, Takao was evidently a pretty tactical and thoughtful player. He spoke as he searched for a pair of sandals that would fit his larger friend, to no avail. As always, Shintaro took his own from his backpack and ignored his friend’s apologies.

“You don’t have to challenge me, you know? I swear I do know how to play a videogame.” Takao laughed and left his bag at the entrance. “Besides, I’ve got more than enough challenges set for myself already~”

_ Making you like me, for example... _

The spicy aroma of rice and kimchi flooded their nostrils just as they walked into the apartment. Suzume was resting on the living room,  laying on the couch with her legs sprawled over and her hair was messy and falling on the other side. One of her hamsters laid on her belly, while the other was running around the ground on its plastic sphere. Midorima made a mental note about not losing sight of the critter, if he stepped on it he knew he’d be banished from Takao’s house for the rest of his days.

Takao’s father was  still at the office, but it was to be assumed that his mother was busy at the kitchen. Suzume looked a lot like Takao, shorter in stature but they shared the same tan skin, pale eyes and large, glossy dark hair. Midorima couldn’t deny Suzume was kind of good looking, something that seemingly ran though the family, but he’d never thought of her as anything else than her best friend’s sister. Apparently, Suzume didn’t think the same way about Shin-chan. Takao rolled his eyes and cleared his throat when they came inside the house, and the girl jumped on her seat when she noticed Midorima had accompanied her brother home. She had a korean drama running on the TV and the remainders of an unfinished homework laying on the table in front of her.

“We’re home!” Takao greeted in a loud voice so that his mother would hear him and he threw a mean look towards his sister’s directions. “We’ll be on my room, ask us if you need any help, mom!” 

A short woman with beautiful blue eyes came out of the kitchen with a pink apron tied around her waist, and greeted her son with a kiss on his cheek. Slightly ashamed of intruding for dinner, Shintaro bowed his head before her and HItomi-san returned the gesture.

“It’s so good you’re joining us tonight, Shintaro-chan, it had been a long time since you came to our home.”

“Y-yes, thanks for the invitation.”

“Kazu usually spends more time at your house than here, you should consider asking him to pay rent.” The woman said with a bright smile on her face, identical to the one her primogenitor used to show all the time.

“Shin-chan wouldn’t ask me to pay rent, he likes me too much to even think like that. He’d just take me as his personal slave in exchange, probably… but I can take it.” Takao struck a dramatic pose and dragged Midorima from his arm to take him away from his mother and sister, who looked slightly impatient to initiate a conversation. Midorima seemed aware of the slight crush she had on him, but Takao couldn’t allow for little Suzu to try and seduce his Shin-chan. Midorima seemed thankful he managed to drag him away from the women of the house, so he followed him inside the room without complaining.

“In case you were wondering, I don’t plan on wooing your sister, you don’t have to be so paranoid about it…”

“Nobody says ‘wooing’ anymore, Shin-chan.” Takao laughed, but he sounded slightly relieved to hear those words. “I know you won’t try to hit on her, you’ve got more than enough with just one Takao in your life, and I doubt you can handle two at the same time. It’s my mother who worries me, I bet eh wants you as her son-in-law, actually”

“With all due respect, I’d rather marry you before even looking at your sister.” Midorima said with a slight tone of spite, without thinking much about what he had just said. Takao blushed, but noticed how Midorima was also as red as an apple.

_ … what the frigging hell, Shin-chan?! _

“Hah! Then you’ll have to explain it to them, Shin-chan, I cannot break my own sister’s heart! It’d be a beautiful wedding, though~”

Midorima did not answer, he just turned around and turned on the console while Kazunari ran towards his sister’s room to retrieve the missing beanbags he’d lent to her for a party she had past weekend. He came back a few minutes later, dragging the orange colored seat so that Shin-chan could fix himself on it while he retrieved the other one. He returned once again, but this time he came empty-handed and with a sour look on his face.

“She apparently screwed it over by spilling nail polish and juice atop of it during the party and mom took it to the laundry. I don’t like tkaing the futon out just to sit on it, I think I’ll have to stick to the floor for now.” He complained, but before letting himself fall down on his knees, Midorima had moved around against the wall, and offered him some space between his legs so that Takao could sit between them.

“We both fit in just one beanbag, there’s no need for you to stay on the floor.  Besides.. you’re always telling me to share, anyway.” He shrugged and took his eyes away from Takao, still ashamed, but he threw the player 1 controler at his hands with a subtle moment, and Takao decided not to think too much about it and sat beneath his friend, in front of the screen. The beanbag was big enough for the two of them, but the proximity made Takao blush anyway. Thankfully he wasn’t facing Midorima, or the taller boy might have noticed he was having trouble in processing the whole situation.

He felt as if his body irradiated heat every time his legs or arms grazed each other whenever they shifted positions. Since they had started the game and the first encounters began, Midorima had tossed his arms around Takao so that he could grab the controller right in front of his abdomen, just so that he’d not place it atop of his head and bother him with the constant smacking of buttons. Whenever the battle became more engaging, he rested his chin over Takao’s head or his left shoulder, when he needed to focus on the screen. every single touch made Taka’s heart skip a beat that felt as if he was about to have a stroke.

“I think I’ve never thanked you about playing videogames for me, Shin-chan. I know you weren’t used to playing them and that you don’t like them much, but you’ve always agreed to help me and play with me. So… thanks.”

“It’s nothing.” Midorima answered coldly, leaning back when Takao was left on the field after a long and tedious battle they’ve lost and reset for a couple of times. “I won’t deny it’s been fun. And I’ve appreciated this game a lot more since you’re actually _ playing  _ it and you’re not trying to deduce how to learn on the go.”

“You’re so mean!” Takao said, leaning back as well to mock his friend as he rested the back of his head on Midorima’s chest. He expected to be shoved and screamed at, but the aggression never came. Midorima just stared down at him with a stern but defeated look on his face and sighed closing his eyes. They stared at each other for a while, until Takao gave up on trying to deduce what was going through Shin-chan’s mind. He resumed his game and they continued with their adventure.

* * *

 

“It’s getting late. Dinner should be ready. I supposer mom is waiting for my old man to come back from work. Let’s go help her.” Takao insisted after they’d cleared the second dungeon. The second boss’ fight was even harder, but Takao had spent some time grinding to level up and Midorima had no arguments to complain.  When they reached the table they noticed all the dishes  were already placed atop of the tablecloth while mother and daughter watched TV on the living room, waiting for Kazunari’s father to arrive so that they could start dining.

“I told my mother I’d be arriving late tonight, don’t worry.” Midorima said when Takao gave him an anxious look. “I hope it doesn’t take long, though, I need to get ready for tomorrow. Aren’t you nervous? Tomorrow’s our first real challenge.”   
  


“Not quite. I’m certain you’ll shine just like you’ve been doing during practice and that our underclassmen will bring out the best of themselves during this tournament. I’m quite confident about my own abilities as well.”

“That reminds me… you still owe me a one-on-one from that time.” There was a certain tone of defiance in Midorima’s voice. Takao smiled. “Do you want to give it a go? We can practice on the parking lot while your father comes come.”

“I’d rather keep my new secrets for tomorrow, you know? There are things I’ve not shown just yet, not even to you.” Kazunari sounded awfully arrogant, almost as if they’d switched personalities for a second. Midorima smirked and grabbed a basketball that rested on Takao’s discarded bag at the entrance of the apartment. “Oh, you’re serious, huh? Well, let’s go. There’s only an improvised hoop, but it’d be more than enough to show you who’s boss, Shin-chan.”

“Awfully confident, aren’t we?

“I learned from the best, after all~”

After telling his mother they’d be out for a moment, the younger one stopped abruptly and stared at his friend with angry eyes.

“You convinced me of this so that you could keep practicing. That’s cheating!”

“I didn’t hear any complaints coming from you. Besides, it’s always good to do some practice when the sun is down. It’s cooler and quieter.”

“Well, then… I’ll challenge you to do something, but I know beforehand that you’ll be unable to do it.” Takao smirk grew wider and that made Midorima’s smile disappear completely, substituted by a confused gesture on his eyes. “The challenge is as it follows: you’ll have to take the ball from my hands three times before I score ten points. It should be easy as pie for you, Shin-chan. But I must warn you, I’m not holding back.” 

For a second, Midorima felt a shudder running behind his back, a primal instinct that told him to flee away from this new version of Takao he was about to meet. Nevertheless, Midorima’s pride had always prevented him to escape from a good challenge. Not even because it was none other than Kazu who was confronting him, he’d never deny a great opponent.

* * *

 

Fortunately for both of them, Takao’s father did not take long to arrive and their short one-on-one got cut off quickly, because the younger boy was about to collapse if he kept going. His happy and mocking voice was broken and tired, each one of his words escaped his mouth like a groan whenever he tried to speak and only a jaded breath came out. Midorima had to hold him by the shoulders so that Kazunari did not lose his balance; his body was covered in cold sweat and he trembled when Shintaro’s hands managed to catch him.

“Are you alright?”

“Just so you know… this isn’t perfected yet. I don’t plan on using it tomorrow, perhaps not even during the tournament. I… I have to make sure this is 100% flawless by the next time I have to face one of your old friends… without your help” Takao’s let a soft whine of pain escape his lips, covering his eyes to block the brilliant lights of the parking lot.

Suzuki-san had found them in the middle of their match, but he didn’t seem to notice the exhaustion both teenagers were suffering, so he just waved at them from inside the car and told them he’d get going to greet his family. They’d have to finish their game quickly so that they could all join for dinner. Takao nodded and screamed a warm greeting to his father, who parked the car and  walked away without involving himself into his son’s business. Just as Takao Senior had disappeared behind his entrance door, the younger one had gotten into shooting position once again and managed to score his last two points, and Shintaro couldn’t even get the ball away from him a single time. As the ball landed on the hoop, Takao let himself fall down to the floor on his knees.

“How… how did you…?” Midorima panted as well, preoccupied. He’d managed to catch Takao before he fell harshly on the floor. He ran one of his arms behind Takao’s waist and helped him up, making sure he was not close to any light source to check what was happening with his eyes. They were reddened and his pupils had expanded to an abnormal radius, as if he’d forced his eyes to go beyond their human capabilities.

“Training, lots of it. I’ve been practicing on my own and from time to time I play against the coaches at the fitness center. Usually they’re just amateurs, but I get really strong opponents every now and then. Coach Nakajima is one of them, he’s been helping me out besides from our lessons. He doesn't have my hawk eyes, but he knows a guy who does and he’d seen him exploit them to the maximum, so…  ugh, I need to lay down. Can you walk me home, Shin-chan? I’m so sorry… I’m sure my mom will go nuts again this time.”

_ Again? _

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… don’t worry too much, Shin-chan, It’s not the first time this happens. I just need to rest my eyes. I’ll be perfect for tomorrow’s match. I have noticed it’s been worth the torture… heh, I told you you wouldn’t be able to take the ball away from me! I expected you’d be able to do it at least once, I must admit...” 

Takao cleansed the sweat from his face and rested his face against Shintaro’s shoulder, resting his eyes against the wet towel that he’d hung there. As soon as the walked up the staircase and opened the door, he walked him directly towards the living room's couch and looked around for a hot compress inside the bathroom, without even asking his parent’s permission after the intrusion. Suzume watched him rush across the hall, for which she turned on her heels to help him and try to aid her clumsy brother. Shintaro knelt before Kazunari, making him lay on his back carefully so that he’d be able to press the hot towel against his face. He asked Suzume to bring a couple of analgesics and eyedrops from the first aid kit, hoping that would work against the swelling and the exhaustion. 

“I love it when you play doctor, Shin-chan… you look so professional looking all worried about your patients.”

“It’s no time for jokes, you idiot. Are you sure you’re not overworking yourself?” Midorima asked, truthfully concerned for once. Takao laughed and teased him about his unnecessary worries After all, Shintaro Midorima had no right to issue a critic if it were about superhuman efforts. “What I meant is you’re doing too many things at the same time. School, practice, extra classes… I even remember you mentioned you want to take a photography class a few days ago… isn’t it too much?”

“I can rest when I’m dead, Shin-chan. Besides, exams are almost over and summer break is coming. I plan on spending my time as best as I can, you know? It’s our last year of high school, better make something out of it.” 

“Takao…”

“Don’t say a word, Shin-chan… I’m aware of what I’ve managed with this new abilities, but I’m also conscious of the consequences. There will be a time when I’d love to talk about it, but now isn't it. For now I want to enjoy the time we have left as partners. You can’t deny me of it, can you?”

“You talk as if you’re really dying, you imbecile.”

“Die? Then who’s going to pester Shin-chan when I’m gone? No, of course not, silly. I just want that by the end of this year it’s not ‘Midorima and his partner Takao’ like it’s always been. I’d rather have it being just ‘Midorima and Takao’, I don’t know if I make myself clear…”

“Jerk… of course I understand. It’ll always be ‘ _ you and I _ ’. Don’t make this team’s decisions on your own. Hurry, let’s go eat.”

* * *

 

Diner was the only and bizarre moment in which Takao’s family remained silent while one of its four members sitting at the table, five counting their guest, shared their day at school or work. It was always Kazunari’s mother who started it, and Hitomi-san would usually brag about her friends at the café and her reader’s club. Suzume would talk about school and she’d try to move from the subject of the boys she liked, given the fact that there was one sitting right in front of her and the topic would make her brother unbearable for an entire week. Tired as he was after work, Suzuki-san didn’t talk much, other than his job at the editorial house was doing good and that he’d hang out with some colleagues over some beers on friday night. Fortunately, Takao was able to tell for both of them whan had happened at school and Shin-chan would only share a few commentary and nod in agreement when it was necessary, because his mind was running elsewhere as they ate, recalling everything that had happened a few minutes ago at the parking lot.

Just as Coach Nakajima had told him, Takao’s growth for the past months had been exponential, but he didn’t imagine he’d been holding back so much talent during their practices and the previous matches they’ve had since the tournament began. At his current level, he had probably reached an Uncrowned King kind of play or perhaps he’d gone even further, making a category of his own. If he kept pushing forward and honed his skills to perfection, he might even… no, that was impossible.

Kagami was an exception, but no one, not even Tatsuya Himuro had the strength or technique necessary to achieve the level of the Generation of Miracles. Takao was an amazing player and the perfect partner for Midorima, even more accurate on his passes and their plays together than Kuroko ever was. Perhaps he was even a better partner than Akashi, but he didn’t have the individual strength that any of the Miracles had on their own. Yet, Midorima feared that if Takao had set his mind onto it, he might achieve it by the end of the year, because he might as well just make it. There was a question that had been pestering him for a while, though, ever since they sat at the table and Takao’s precarious situation faded into the background of the family’s dinner:  at what cost was he achieving all of this? They had just played for ten minutes and his eyes started to burn so badly as if they had been set aflame. If he kept going on like this, who knew which other consequences it might bring on his body?

Without noticing, he’d stopped eating for almost ten minutes, but nobody seemed to have noticed his distraction. He kept eating his spicy rice with a worried look on his eyes, thinking what could be going though Takao’s mind about this series of heavy training. Maybe he was thinking on giving everything he could until he dropped. Maybe his purpose was to make them this year’s best team and then let it all go. Everything would be over by the end of the year and there would be nothing he could do. Takao would leave. He’d go away like everybody else did. His hands trembled slightly and the chopsticks made a clanking sound against the plate, so he left them besides his dish for a second and tightened his hands into fists beneath the table. He didn’t mind what he had just said a few moments before they started their dinner, it was more than obvious that Takao had already made a decision without consulting him, or he hadn’t simply thought of the consequences. Shintaro had to resist the urge of getting up and out of there as quickly as possible, or to yell at Takao in front of his parents.

Out of the blue, a hand held onto his for a second, which made him come back to this strange train of thought he’d fallen into. Kazunari was looking at him with worry, but looked completely recovered besides having slightly reddened eyes. The younger man gave him a smile and let go almost immediately. Thankfully nobody noticed Midorima had returned that smile to him unconsciously, mostly because his father and Suzu discussed about the possibilities about her riding a motorcycle next year. Shintaro sighed  and kept on eating, trying not to worry about than one situation out of his control. He didn’t know at what point had Takao’s safety and health had become one of his top priorities, but he had to make sure both of them were up to date with the pressing issue.

Even of all that and his momentary anger, Takao had actually managed to surprise him. He possibly had a secret talent nobody had never discovered up until now. Midorima believed that to be the case, because his friend had an ability to learn quicker than anybody else when his mind, body and soul were set on a clear objective. He wanted to see how this ability of his would work in game against someone of such quick wit as Akashi or someone with perfect copy as Kise, but he immediately reprimanded himself for thinking something as selfish after seeing how hurt Kazu was from their match.

He knew his skills would be pretty useful on a difficult match, but he wished they’d never had to use it. Even so, it was practically impossible, so it’d be a lot better if there were no previous injuries damaging his health. He was trusting blindly on Takao’s new discoveries, mostly because he’d just watched a miracle happen in front of him. After failing that silly challenge, Takao had shown him he had whatever was necessary to fight any other of his five old teammates. His body moved as if it knew perfectly where to place itself without even thinking, so that Shintaro would not be able to even graze him, with the perfect pacing so that the game would always be on his favor. Takao’s ever-woken eyes closed shut whenever it was necessary for him to act with his mind, not with his body, and that was incredibly terrifying on itself, because Midorima was unable to take the ball away from his friend, not even once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, for Takao's family's ethimologies!
> 
> Suzume (雀 or スズメ) means Sparrow, following the bird naming ('Taka', as you probably know already, means Hawk).  
> Hitomi (瞳 or 史美) means Pupil of the eye, or the other two kanji mean history and beautiful. I like the first reading better.  
> Suzuki (鈴木) means bell tree, and it doesn't hold any special meaning behind it, just that it shares both the "Suzu" begining with his daughter's name, and the fact that Takao's Seiyuu's is precisely Suzuki Tatsuhisa.
> 
> Next time (and hopefuly not so far from today): An unexpected confession, and it's not what you think.


	8. I'm Rooting for You!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Mistakenly considered lovers || Accidental confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'll be damned, my office was compromised because of the earthquake past Tuesday here in Mexico City (as some of you may know, I lost my house and I'm currently living with relatives) and I've been doing home-office for a while, so have a lot of free time by now. I don't like going out because the city is an utter chaos, so I think I might be getting back into schedule until work gets back into normalcy sooner or later.
> 
> As for this chapter, we'll be seeing a lot more romance happening between the two from now on, get ready~
> 
> Thanks for reading, and thanks a lot for your kind support during this rough times.

Midorima’s shots proved to be as efficient as ever and their fights against the other two Kings of Tokyo showed the same results as the past two years, even if the matches were a lot more engaging than their plays from their freshman year of high-school. One huge disadvantage they had this year,  in comparison to their previous tournaments, was that they’d gained renown as Shuutoku’s aces, thus their common tactics were already known by the opponent. Not that they could have stopped them anyway. But even if Midorima’s popularity was still uprising at the time, Takao wasn’t left behind on that matter and had dragged a couple of curious stares towards him with his plays during that match. He acted a lot more strategically and inventive now that the second round had started, and Shintaro even listened some of the interviewing media calling him the team’s new MVP. Midorima left the main hall, slightly concerned about that fact, knowing the journalists had only seen the tip of the iceberg. The rest was yet to come.

The next round would begin next week while the other teams finished their matches, so they had more than enough time to practice and prepare for the upcoming games. They hadn’t underestimated their opponents, but at the current level the five members of the team upheld, they represented no threat. Next time they set foot on the court, however, the quarterfinals started and they’d be facing Seirin or Kaijo during the first round, depending on this next week’s results. Neither would be an easy feat, because Seirin was gathering a lot of power slowly and Kaijo had taken silver past year  during the Winter Cup, taking advantages of all odds that happened that tournament due to the absence of a certain red-haired Point Guard who’d suffered an injury while horseback riding in his state.

“Gaaah, I’m so tired!” Takao complained, rubbing his shoulders as they walked with their underclassmen towards the lockers. “But it was a very good game nevertheless. Make sure to rest, we’ll be training like crazy if we want to classify against Kaijo or Seirin next week. Seirin worries mie, since they’re the ones who’ve seen some of our newest plays before.”

“Thank you for your efforts, everyone.” Midorima congratulated them, as polite and stoic as ever, and not showing any sort of joy for their victory. He disappeared towards the showers, leaving Takao to deliver the motivational speech on his own. After a few minutes, he came back to the wooden bench where Takao was laying against the seat with both his eyes closed, evidently awake but contemplative. Shintaro dressed himself with the clean shirt and let his orange jersey fall atop of his shoulders, who was only wearing the uniform shorts and was going shirtless for a while.

“Ah… hi, Shin-chan. Everyone else took the showers and I decided to wait for them to come out. You were terrifying as ever, congrats”, Takao greeted him with a smile. Midorima didn’t return the gesture, but sat besides him on the floor.

“You’re going to catch a cold, you dumbass.” He answered coldly, searching for a dry towel on his bag to rub his damp hair. “You’re holding back during the matches.” Midorima  added and scolded him, while he took out a roll of tape for his fingers and started to bind them carefully.  

“Duh,of course I was holding back! I don’t plan on wasting my new tricks on someone who’s not worth it.” Takao explained and rested his forehead against Midorima’s shoulder.  He took the tape from his hands and continued with the endeavor, taking Shintaro’s fingers carefully into his. It was something that had become some sort of strange routine between the two of them, that had started as something completely different as well. Takao used to buy him spare tape and as he slowly gained Midorima’s trust though those small signs of affection, the greenhead allowed him to help on the taping. How did that even happen in a two-year course, Takao didn’t have the slightest idea. It was something that had suddenly popped up on their lives and it looked as something completely normal as of now, even if it looked eerie to everyone else’s eyes.

“You were  also holding back, Shin-chan. There are some tricks you evidently didn’t use today.”

“As you say, I think they’ll be more useful against someone like Kagami or Aomine.”

“See? We share the same idea, then... You know, I’d like to try shooting threes again, I think it worked pretty well against Seirin during that friendly match. Maybe we can make it perfect to fight them off with all our strength during the match.” Takao insisted when he was done with the pinky finger’s binging.

He toyed around with his partner’s bag and took out a small lucky item he had bought it on their way to the gym, a nice paper fan with a lake landscape painted on its side. It was really hot at the moment, since the warm summer sun was just setting on the horizon, so Takao took his chance and fanned himself with the lucky item while Shintaro inspected everything was on it’s place.

“I didn’t think you’d do it on an official match, we have not practiced enough, but maybe we can do something in a week. I recommend starting by fixing these things you call hands, by the way.” Midorima mocked him, taking one of Takao’s wrists to check his manicure. 

_An utter mess._

“Huh? Are you for real? I thought it only affected your plays because you’re… well, you.” Takao laughed, retrieving his hand from his friend’s grip.

“No, I’m being completely serious. The length of your nails or some sort of irregularity on your hands can cause the ball to shift, thus not land on the ring.” Takao could say he found it hard to believe, but it was the eccentric green haired doctor-to be, devout follower of the morning horoscope, whom Takao had never seen failing a perfect shot. If Midorima said he drank human blood as part of his secret for success, Takao would have believed him.

_Ah,  stupid Shin-chan, look at the things you make me do..._

“I’ve… I’ve never done that before. If I ever needed help with it, Suzu or mom would usually do it, but that’s been on very rare occasions.” Takao explained. He looked at his hands and noticed he had bruises  on his side and a few callouses around his fingers, consequences of having passionately played Basket for almost a decade. It amazed him that, even if they had played for almost the exact same time, Shin-chan’s hands were perfect. Just as Midorima had thought, Takao concluded the same: his hands were a mess.

Midorima offered a kind hand to see how bat the situation was, to try to find some sort of solution upon the incoming disaster. Reluctantly, Takao held his hand out. He had small knife cuts around the fingertips, bruises on the side and a series of scratches from unknown procedence on his wrist. The small callouses were located on his sides and on the tips, and while the nails were not a complete chaos (thank god he didn’t have that horrible habit of biting them), they were improperly trimmed. Shintaro sighed and let go of him.

 “For starters, there’s no way I can teach you everything, even if your hands were properly taken care of and you learned the technique step by step. You’re right-handed and I’m not. Your hands are smaller and slightly thicker, and, as we’ve stated before, you’re almost 8 inches shorter and many pounds lighter than me. Now, about your hands… your knuckles and phalanges are slightly bumpier, since you're skinnier than me. All of this could lead to a problem, but I think I see a simple solution.

“You can tell all of it just by looking at my hands?” Takao asked impressed and Midorima nodded slightly ashamed. “What’cha thinking?” 

Midorima showed him the binding tape and Takao arched an eyebrow in confusion. Shintaro didn’t answer, he just put it on his pocket immediately afterwards.

“I’ll show you tomorrow, after training. Let’s go home, I think the bus is arriving.”

“Uh… yeah.” He stood up from the bench, slightly startled when he noticed Tae-chan was at the entrance with the attendance list on her hands. She walked in to hurry them, as they were the only ones missing outside. Takao hurried to pick up his shoes as quick as his anxious hands let him, and ran to catch up with them on the hall.

* * *

 

On their way back to central Tokyo, Takao had dozed off for a while as the bus took them back to Shuutoku, but he hadn’t noticed he’d fallen asleep on Midorima’s shoulder until they reached their destination. The older boy had also let himself fall prey to tiredness, and had used Takao’s head as his support, making it awkward for the two of them as they woke up. Kazunari felt someone poking him on the rib, which startled him and woke him up immediately. They had reached their school safely, but, once again, they were the last to leave. Ashamed, he parted ways with his friend’s shoulder and insisted with a loud laugh that  Shin-chan was a very comfortable pillow. Midorima rolled his eyes and insisted he should have shoved him off the minute he fell asleep.

_Yet, you didn’t..._

Takao didn’t know if he liked that Midorima had turned a lot kinder and understanding for the past two years. It had taken time of mutual trust and understanding that Takao had fought for so long to gain, but as time progressed, the harder it became for him to deny he had feelings for his friend.  Not that he could tell him anyway. Shin-chan didn’t look at him that way. He didn’t look at anyone, at anything, that way.

He descended from the bus without any energies left, and after fixing his back with a long and loud stretch, he faced Shintaro, who discussed with Inazuma about the latest match. 

“I have to stay for a while to attend some business with the coach and Tae-chan. You can go ahead if you want, it’s better if you don’t wait for me, Shin-chan.” Takao said when Inazuma had waved them goodbye and caught up with Tatsumaki so that they could go home on the other boy’s scooter.

“Do you need my help? I don’t mind waiting for you.” The green haired boy said without any enthusiasm, but Takao shook his head in response.

“Nah, go home. We’re discussing  the bus’ fees for the rest of the tournament and the new uniforms that have not arrived yet. Besides, your house is further away from here and it’s better if you get a rest earlier.” Takao sighed. He was tired as well, but Midorima had overexerted himself during their matches today. If anyone needed rest, it was him. They didn’t need both the captain and the vice-captain to attend financial matters for their team anyway.

“Fine. See you tomorrow.” Midorima hung his bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the door. Just when he was about to exit, he turned around and Takao noticed there was a concerned look on his eyes. “Send me a text once you get home safe. It’s getting late, indeed.”

“O-ok.” Takao stuttered, chocking a bit on his own words. That had been pretty unusual. “Have a safe trip, Shin-chan.”

* * *

 

The meeting with the coach and the manager was relatively quick, they only had to check the payment fees and compare their prices as to pick the better option for their current financial situation, since the school refused to pay a single yen if the team did not show the best results during the previous tournament. For their first year, things had been easy because they’d finished the Winter Cup in third place, but they were not as kind when they were eliminated on the semifinals next year, and the committee refused to give them any more money. Their financial situation was precarious, even if the school’s committee didn’t give them much money to begin with, all of this semester's funds they’d spent it all on new gear for the gym  and new uniforms that had still not arrived by the middle of May. As the quarterfinals were happening quite far from home, the team needed a comfortable, wide  bus to take the whole team from one point  to another.

 “It’s so sad the committee has cut our resources short this year.” Tae-chan said when the meeting ended. Nakatani had already left and he had asked his two students to close up the gym and the office when they left.

 “I’m thinking we might need a sponsor. Thanks to Shin-chan, I doubt they’d refuse. Do you live far away from here, Tae-chan? It’s dark already.

 When he noticed they lived really close to each other,a few blocks away from Takao’s apartment, he offered to walk her home and then he’d take his bike to rush towards his apartment.

 “... I mean, it’s ok they gave all the budget to the Judo team, they won gold for three years on a row, but it bothers me that they’d shoved us aside. It’s another reason why I want us to take first place this year, now that Shin-chan and I retire, we hope to leave something behind for our kouhai.” Takao said as he lost his sight on the sky as he played around with the zipper on his bag and moved his bike forward at a slow pace. Tae giggled and made the boy turn around to face her, confused.

 “You know, Takao-senpai? When I first met you, I didn’t believe you’d be this reliable.”

 “Should I take it as an offense?” Takao said between laughter, but Tae shook her head. “Nah,I know. People tend to say I’m a goof and they can’t take me seriously, but I worry about a lot of things… and I worry a lot.” He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “I want to leave high school having done something for  it, not just as another student… not just as Shin-chan’s partner, you get me? That’s why I wanted to be captain, that’s why I wanna win so badly...”

 “You’ve done far more than you think, now that you mention Midorima-senpai.” The girl said. Takao blushed, because he hadn’t intended to bring him into conversation with her. “He was precisely another odd character I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get along when I became the team’s manager. But my brother and Miyaji-senpai had told me he’s changed a lot ever since you two entered high school… Onii-san said Midorima-kun used to be truthfully annoying and selfish and that you’d be just as annoying trying to tease him and make him cheer up.”

 “Hah! Our senpai just hated us at the time, I’m well aware and I don’t blame them. We were truly terrible” He laughed, but then he made a pained expression. “But when you say I’m annoying it actually hurts a bit, Tae-chan...”

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” she apologized with a panicked expression. Takao laughed and insisted he was only joking. “No, what I meant was that you and Midorima-kun have changed a lot through these two years. I’m glad we’ve managed to get along.”

 “That’s what friends are for, Tae-chan.”

 “Right… you two are indeed very close friends.” She said and remained silent for a while, but Takao noticed there was something on her mind she wanted to talk about. He insisted if something was wrong, and Tae shook her head, but proceeded to voice her thoughts. “May I ask you something… quite personal, senpai?”

 “Huh? What’s wrong?”

 “Do you… uhm… I-is there something… between you and… Midorima-senpai?” She asked, and her question made Takao blush from tip to toe. He sighed and rubbed his eyes in discomfort, because he knew he’d not be able to deny something so obvious. However, he did not feel ready to openly admit it yet. If Kise and Kuroko knew about his feelings, it was because they had noticed on the go, as Takao’s feelings progressed and they watched everything happening from the side. Both of those friendships had gotten into a mutual unspoken accord of not talking directly about their love life, because the three of them were riding the same boat, having unrequited, impossible romances that had never gotten anything grand to talk about.  But if there was someone who’d listen and keep the secret, it was none other than Tae Ootsubo. Even so, letting it out and not dying on the attempt was a dangerous task for Takao at the moment.

“No. Not quite…” He said with a husky voice. The girl blinked rapidly and blushed, apologizing for touching a sensitive spot. “I… I’m not sure about… gah! Why are you asking, Tae-chan?!”

“Well… if we’re being completely honest… I… I confessed to Midorima-senpai some days ago.”

“WHAT?!” Takao hadn’t been expecting that, for sure.

_So, Shin-chan has admirers too, huh?_

“Don’t sound so surprised, Takao-senpai!!!” She blushed, and stopped in the middle of the street beneath a limelight. “Y-yes, I had… have… a crush on him for quite a while, I can’t help it. But when I confessed, he…”

“Oh my god, what did he do?!” Takao asked, scared Midorima had been the insensitive idiot he usually was when it involved feelings and human emotions.

“N-nothing! He just… he said he already had someone dear to him. He was very kind, actually.” Takao stared at her dumbfounded. “I… I actually imagined it could be you, to be honest.”

“W-what? Me? Nah, come on, Tae-chan, we’re just friends, and we’re both guys... He never told me you’ve had confessed, though. Some days ago, you say?”

“Yes, around a week ago.” Tae stared at him with a smirk, glancing further away from that facade that tried to act cool. She must have confessed just after that evening Takao stayed at his house and they went to the sports center the next day. Oh, god, Takao was getting so many mixed signals he felt he was about to explode.

_No,  there’s no way that Shin-chan… nah, it can’t be. He probably just noticed he actually liked some other girl..._  

“Well, I’m glad that he’s sensitive enough not to make a girl cry. I was afraid he might have hurt you.”

“No, he didn’t. And... strangely I didn’t feel any sort of jealousy. The way he spoke of his beloved was really cute… I don’t know, it made me think of you. I told to myself, if it’s Takao-senpai who Midorima-kun likes, then it’s fine. You both are really close and you know each other better than anybody else. I-I’m rooting for you, senpai!”

“What are you talking about, Tae-chan?” Takao laughed out, nervous. They were standing just outside her house.

“Don’t play fool, senpai. You like Midorima-kun.” The boy was about to argue, but Tae had an all-knowing smile on her face. Takao let his shoulders drop in defeat as he sighed, trying to find the words to explain it to her. Tae interrupted him before he started to give out excuses. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. You should be honest with him, though.”

“Please don’t lecture me, Tae-chan… it’s as sad as it sounds, don’t make me feel any worse.” Takao rode his bike when she opened her door and went inside.

“I insist you should try it. What do you have to lose? It’s not like Midorima-kun would stop talking to you, you know he needs you just as much as you need him.- Tae smiled kindly and Takao felt his face burning with embarrassment.“Thanks for walking me home, senpai. Oh, by the way, Onii-chan, Miyaji-senpai and Yuuya-senpai are coming back to Tokyo later this year. Tai-chan says they’ll be coming to watch you at the Winter Cup by then. He asked me to tell you and insisted on taking you and Midorima-kun for dinner when the championship starts. I also talked with Kimura-senpai this week and he was fine with joining us.”

“Oh, the captain is coming home? That’s great! How’s college going?” Takao asked, trying to evade the past topic. Tae seemed to comply.

“Tai-chan is fine, tired and with lots of homework, but he’s happy. He says Osaka is pretty different from Tokyo. He sends his regards!”

“Thanks for the message, Tae-chan. It’s getting late, it’s better if I go back now.”

“Thanks to you, Senpai. And… seriously, give it a thought.”

“Y-yeah… I’ll personally discuss it with my bed. See ya tomorrow!”

Takao began pedaling at full speed. Even if getting news on his former teammates distracted him from the matter at hand, he could not forego the fact that someone else  had noticed his silly crush on Shin-chan.

_Am I that obvious?!_

Moreover, Tae had idea that there was something going on between them, and she surely was not the only one on the school with said suspicion. It was surely a well-spent rumor around their team, or even their classmates. On the other hand, he was worried that Shin-chan had finally discovered he liked someone. The ever distant, Ice-king Shintaro Midorima, in love?! No, it couldn’t be… Midorima surely just went with it to avoid hurting Tae’s feelings. But… what if it was true? What if Shin-chan was actually in love? It couldn’t be him, the feeling couldn’t be mutual… could it?

Takao reached his home in just a few minutes and parked his bike carelessly, then he stumbled upstairs and opened the door in a violent swing that startled his parents and his sister. Takao hadn’t considered everyone would still be sitting at the table, given the time.

“Kazu, is everything alright?” His mother asked as she picked the dishes from the table. There was one still intact, and Takao was grateful they didn’t wait for him this time.

“Y-yeah, I walked our manager home and I noticed it was really late. Sorry for the delay.”

“It’s good to act like a knight in shining armor and everything, but your dinner’s cold, boy.” His father scolded him with a wedgie, but Takao shrugged him off and placed the food on the fridge. All those doubts had taken his appetite away, anyway.

“I’ll heat it up later. I’m not hungry. I’m sorry.” He said, and he knew he probably had a puppy-eyed look on his face because none of his parents said anything. His mother stood up and held his arm with worry, trying to find an explanation, but Takao shook his head and a smile drew itself on his lips. His mother probably noticed he was lying through his teeth. “Don’t fret, mom, I’m fine… I-I’ll tell you later. I want to rest for a while, ok?”

“How was your match, brother?” Suzume asked and Takao beamed a smile at her, a slightly genuine gesture this time.

“It was fine, we won both games. As always, your big bro and his team are the very best.”

“That means you’ve reached the quarterfinals, then!” His father said, patting his back with eagerness. “I have something to give you, son, but I’ll wait by the time you’re done with the tournament. You’ll give it some use later, I’m sure, but for now it’s best if you don’t get distracted. For now, focus on winning and if you get to the finals, we’ll talk about that gift you’ve been talking for many months now…

His father smiled,and that worked as a firm motivation so that Takao would put more effort on his training. Suzuki-san was a good father, as he knew just what to say to cheer his son up. It’s not like he needed any more incentive, but that gift he had asked for… well, it’d be a much sweeter victory if he managed to win this time.

Takao smiled and nodded energetically, just to shut himself into his room a few seconds later and let the weight of his doubts sink in and consume him once again. He let himself fall down on the futon after spreading it on the floor and he curled up against his bed as he took out his cellphone, doubtfully running his fingers through the screen. He opened his contacts and instinctively his hands reached that name on the “favorites” section. Instead of sending a text like he promised, he dialed Midorima’s number, perhaps out of dumb instinct that pushed him to want to hear his voice. It was strange, but usually calling Shin-chan worked on calming his anxiety. Whether it was before an important match or when something harsh happened through his life, the scolding and rough words from his friend managed to make him smile. Ah, had he fallen in so much love for him, he could not deny it! However, he had no answers as to what to do now, since Shin-chan was the one causing this anxiety. Would hearing his voice work at all? Could he even talk about what happened earlier?

“Are you’re at home?” Midorima’s low voice asked from the other side of the speaker.

“Yeah, sorry I called you… I should’ve texted you instead but I pressed call instead. Were you already asleep?”

“No, I had just laid down on the bed. Did you arrive safe?”

“Y-yes.”

“You sound strange, did something happen?- there were no actual signs of concern in his tone, but Takao knew, oh, he knew! Shintaro was really worried about him. Definitely, calling him wasn’t helping at all.

“Shin-chan…” Takao doubted if he should keep talking or just hang up and call it a day. He was very confused, tired and sensitive, he should probably hang up before he said anything stupid he’d regret the next day. “... nevermind. I’m too tired I’m no longer thinking straight.”

“Get some rest and don’t make me worry, Takao.” It sounded like an order, but his voice was really sweet. Most likely Shintaro was also really tired, and Takao knew Shin-chan was quite adorable when he was sleepy.

_Agh, god damn it._

“Shin-chan, Tae-chan told me.”

“Ah. Don’t put too much thought into it. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, that’s it.”

“I know, I supposed you’d do that. You should have told me.”

“I didn’t think it was necessary.” Midorima answered honestly.

“Shin-chan… I’m your friend, right? You trust me, more than anyone, I think, right?” All of it, his indifference, his coldness, hurt him more than he’d ever admit. His crushed pride, his aching feelings, were pushing him to say idiotic things… perhaps he was just too tired.

“I think we are. Why are you asking?”

“Ah, it’s nothing… I have too many things on my mind I just needed some reassuring words.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I don’t feel fine, Shin-chan.” The voice on Takao’s head told him to shut up now. But that pain on his chest forced him to keep digging his own grave.

“Because of Tae? For the first time since this morning, now he sounded genuinely worried. “Takao, I only told her that so I would not hurt her, I…”

“What am I going to do when Shin-chan _seriously_ has someone by his side?” Takao interrupted him and felt his voice was about to break. He hated crying, he hated crying over the phone while talking to Midorima. Nothing about this could get any worse. “What am I gonna do when someone else gets all your trust and attention and you no longer want to be with me? … what will I do when you no longer need me, Shin-chan?

“Kazu…”

“This is stupid. You were supposed to be the one who needed help, you were the one who had trouble making friends, but… I don’t know when I let you become such a necessary part of my own routine, of my life… it scares me, Shin-chan…”

“Kasu, listen to me… I don’t know what you want to hear, but I’ll tell you this only once. There’s nobody else. For the time being, it’s only you and the team, there’s no one else. Even if time goes by, when we get out of highschool, even if we drift apart, there will be nobody else. You’re my…”

There was only silence. there was no interference between the lines and Takao could still listen to Shintaro holding his breath on the other side of the phone. Takao prayed for him to finish the sentence, but other part of him thanked the heavens he had not found any words to do so.

“I think we’re very tired, Shin-chan. Let’s go get some rest and let’s say you never heard this from me. On the other hand, I’m really proud of how you treated Tae-chan. You’ve progressed a lot. She told me

Ootsubo-senpai and Miyaji -senpai are coming back to Tokyo by the end of the year, I hope we can meet with them.”

“Maybe you’re right. It’s also a good idea, I’ll make sure to text them later this week to schedule our meeting.”

“Sometimes I miss those days… you’ve changed a lot since then, Shin-chan.” Takao was blabbering nonsense, most of his energies and efforts were being drained by nervousness and tiredness.

“I know. Tomorrow we’re studying at your place again, right? We can go practice at the park tomorrow evening. There’s something I wanted to show you.”

“Oh, terrific… and… Shin-chan?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Get some rest, Kazunari”

“Sleep tight, Shintaro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow us next time: An everlasting promise, after we reach the point of no return.


	9. What being partners means

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Past the point of no return, Shin-chan lets himself go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 1:30 am and here I am, making myself suffer while I should be sleeping because I have no good habits and I can't control myself :v This is the most punctual I'll ever be, so I hope you enjoy. Our little romance between these two dorks will gradually become more explicit from now on, Ohoho~

“Practice was brutal today...” Takao complained when they walked back at home. For evident reasons, coach Nakatani had forgotten every bit of humanity and kindness in his heart and decided to torture his students so that they’d be at their best in a few days… yet, Takao felt like he had just been ran over by a truck. “Are you sure you wanna practice at the parking lot later on?”

“At noon before I get home, when the sun is down. You’ll surely be all better by then. For now, let’s grab something to eat and rest at your house.” Midorima said bluntly, but he offered to pay for their take-out food since Kazu’s family had invited him to dine with them last time. Now that he came unannounced, he knew there would surely not be enough food for that many people. He wasn’t wrong, Hitomi-san had left enough food on the fridge for her two children, but Takao prefered to order a pizza to share instead of making Shin-chan skip a meal for another couple of hours. He let go of their strict diet of the week for a moment without caring much about it.

Evidently, Suzume also felt enamoured by the molten cheese and, without asking further questions, decided to take several slices to her room. It made Takao’s blood boil in anger, but he shared his pizza without complaints in front of her

“Damn that girl... I love her to bits but sometimes I wish we didn’t live under the same roof.” Takao cursed as they settled themselves inside his room, placing their dishes on the floor and throwing himself towards the beanbag. He refused to study and he insisted he had his homework almost ready for this week, so he turned on the gaming console and laid on his seat, without any care in the world. He had retrieved the other seat from his sister’s room, so he signaled Shin-chan to sit down besides him so that they may continue their playthrough.

“You know that once you go to college, your sister won’t be a problem anymore.” Midorima said, getting comfortable on the beanbag. 

“Right…” There would be several other problems rather than his little sister being a bother, none than Shin-chan cared about. Takao had wanted to make the most out of these days, because he knew they’d be the last they would spend together. “ Hey, by the way… how’re your plans on studying abroad doing, Shin-chan?” 

Takao’s voice must have sounded so incredibly sad, because Midorima looked at him with very anguished eyes.

“I still have to apply for the exams and get all the documentation in order. I had planned to go to the same college as Akashi in London.” 

_ Great, just great! he’s leaving you for Akashi, of all people!  _

“But I’m afraid it completely depends on whether I get a scholarship or not. I cannot afford the tuition and living alone on my own abroad. And I don’t plan on begging for Akashi’s indulgence and hospitality.”

“Then, you’re not going abroad?”

“I’m looking at american schools, but I’m not sure I’m fond of their programs. I’ve also looked at universities in Spain, Italy and Paris, but I don’t understand any of the languages, which is a huge problem.  I don’t know…  maybe my best option is to stay here in Japan. I’ve checked on local universities,Tokyo Uni seems to be the best option so far, closely followed by Kyoto’s.” Shin-chan sighed, and Takao could notice there was some resentment and despair in his tone.

“What’s the matter, Shin-chan?” He paused the game and looked at him, concerned.

“It’s nothing… how are your plans doing? You said you were going for Sports management.” He asked trying to brush Takao’s concerns away, but he failed at doing so. His friend also gave him a desperate look and sighed.

“I need the scholarship as well, if I want to move from home. I’ve checked several local programs on Physical Education and Sports Health, but I don’t think I’ll manage to do it.” Takao sighed and frowned deeply. “You’re still thinking on Medicine as your mayor, right? With the little to no time you’ll have for free, you’re probably quitting basket, aren’t you?”

“Yes… I don’t have many options.” Takao knew Midorima had picked his mayor to please his family, most likely to follow his father’s steps, but recently he seemed really bothered by it. He didn’t dare to ask why, though. Maybe it was the perfect time to poke his nose into it.

“Sorry for barging in, but… have you considered Sports Medicine? As far as I know, students on those programs are encouraged to participate on their college’s teams just as any other fellow, no matter what career you may choose.”

“I think my father won’t like it.” He had projected such disappointment with those few words that Takao almost felt his own heart break into pieces. He said his friend’s name under his breath with worry, but he didn’t know what else to say. “I truly don’t know… I’ve even thought about not applying for any school this year… I really don’t know what to do.”

Was he hearing correctly? His dear, ever-assertive Shin-chan didn’t know what to do? Takao froze for a second, because he had never imagined that even Midorima-sama could have problems as mundane as these. He probably never talked about them because he considered them unimportant, or perhaps it was those terrible insecurities of his that made Midorima refuse to ask for help. Takao was really frustrated and hurt i to see him so filled with despair.

“Shin-chan…  you don’t have to do it if it does not make you happy.- Takao threw his head back and closed his eyes, trying to think on something smart to say. -You don’t have to live for your parents, so search for something you truly love and try it out… I know I’m at least trying.

Midorima looked at him intensely and Takao wondered if he had perhaps understood the innuendos hidden behind his words. He blushed and turned his eyes away from him, but Shin-chan said nothing more. He simply nodded and answered with a brief ‘mhm’, implying Takao was right this time.

-Hey… I want to propose something very stupid, a dumb, big and and long-term challenge.” Takao said after a prolongued silence. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but it was his best effort to make Shin-chan motivated and raise both of their spirits. Maybe  he was just being selfish again for thinking like that. Midorima raised his eyes and stared at him with curiosity. “Third-years of winning teams usually get important scholarships by renowned scouting schools. If we win either the inter-high, go to nationals or the winter cup, they’re surely coming for us.”

“Yes, that’s obvious... but unless you’re someone as talented and wealthy as Akashi, studying abroad is mostly out of question.” He said, frowning deeply. He had never liked Takao repeated such obvious facts.

“I know. My point is, let’s get a scholarship… for the two of us. Let’s go to college together.” It might have been a desperate attempt of his to stay by Shintaro’s side after graduation, but the green haired boy didn’t seem bothered by it. “If you don’t want to study Medicine, then don’t. You’r be an excellent doctor, but I know you’d also be perfect for other million things as well. If you’re gonna do it, do it only because you love it, and I’ll follow your steps, Shin-chan.  If you wanna keep playing basketball, I’ll stick with you as your partner. I’ll talk to your parents if it’s necessary, and I’ll make sure you do whatever it is your heart wants to do.” 

“...why are you doing all this for me?” 

_ Because I fucking love you and I don’t want to lose you after all of this is done…. I love you and I want you to be happy, but I want you to be happy with me... _

“I just want you to do what you like, not what your father wants.” Takao admitted, although he felt as if he’d just told a lie. He turned around on the beanbag to look directly at Midorima, giving his back to the paused screen “You’ve got so much yet undiscovered talents and your true strength is still developing. It’d be a shame if you were to quit just now. Who knows? You may make it to the Olympics or get scouted for the NBA in the future. I just want for all of it to happen… and I sorta wanna be there when it happens.”

“Even if you’re not the one getting scouted? I didn’t know you were so selfless.”

“Oh, no, believe me, I’ll be doing all of this for myself,” For once, Takao wasn’t hiding the truth. “As far as we’ve gotten, I consider your successes my successes as well. I think that’s what being partners mean, anyway.”

“I see. It sounds like a good challenge. I’ve… I’ve actually thought about Sports Medicine in the past, but I’ve never talked about it with anyone. there are other careers I’m interested in, but… I don’t know” Shin-chan admitted and Takao smiled with joy. “So… for the moment, I’ll accept your challenge, Kazu.”

“I won’t let you down, Shin-chan. If you want to go abroad, I’ll try my best to support you with money. We can be roommates, you know? It’s easier to split the expenses between two than just one person.  I… was planning to get a job once the inter-high is done to pay for rent once I move out. It could be  _ our _ rent.”

_ I want you to achieve your dreams, Shin-chan… and I want to be with you as you make it. _

“Say whatever you want, Takao...” Midorima rested his back against the beanbag and told him to resume the game. “...You’re way too selfless.”

* * *

 

After an three or more hours of playing, Midorima decided it was better to give it a rest and get ready for their late-evening practice. Before picking their bikes to head towards the park, however, he asked Takao for a moment to fix his hands the best that he could. Uncertain, Takao agreed and followed him to the bathroom, where  he knew they’d not be bothered and they could manage without leaving a mess in Kazunari’s room.

They sat in front of each other on the cold tiles of the floor between the washtub and as far away from the toilet as they could. Before closing the door, Takao managed to catch a glimpse of his sister walking through the hall, but she did not bother them at all while they were busy. Either way, Takao knew he’d not hear the end of it once Shin-chan had left, since it seemed both siblings were aware they both had a crush on the same guy for who knows how long.

Midorima began to work with whatever he could find,  trimming his nails as close as he could to his skin, on a perfectly straight cut that left no pointy edges or rough parts in the middle.  He was incredibly precise. With a metal nail file, he made sure all of them were at the exact same length and made sure his cuticles were properly trimmed right afterwards, torturing Takao as he was done with the nails. The process wasn’t precisely painful, but Kazunari wouldn’t say it was a pleasure to have bits of your skin pushed and then cut away from the tip of your fingers with a metal object. He flinched more than once, but Shintaro had a steady grip on his wrist so that he’d not hurt him while working on his fingers. His touch, even if firm, was careful and soft.

“Do you think pink coral would look good on me, Shin-chan?” Takao laughed when Midorima was about to finish fixing his right hand. The younger boy  had been blushing slightly the whole time, trying to get himself distracted with the bathroom decorations his mother had put around. He didn’t remember they ever had that flowery landscape hanging on the wall, but it was kinda pretty… Oh, so that’s where he left that rubber duckling Shin-chan had gifted him a year ago! His father’s old magazines were resting besides the toilet, how interesting! perhaps there would be one where old uncle Marbo was still part of the Japanese basketball team… there would be time to peep later on. At the moment he had a bigger concern in front of him, holding his hand.

“No, probably ochre or burgundy, obviously a darker color.” Midorima mocked back at him and smiled slightly. Evidently, Takao hadn’t expected a talkback on his horrible joke. “Your skin is tan, bright colors like pink or yellow will make you look like a ganguro. I can also dye your hair platinum blond if you want.” 

Takao laughed and he clearly heard Shin-chan chuckle.

“You, following up on my silly jokes? Should I be honored or insulted?” He laughed again but let the sound of his giddiness die on his lips. He curled into himself and inspected his now perfectly manicured hand while Shin-chan worked on the other. “But I think I like green better, how do you think it’d look on me?” 

No, he didn’t want to be discreet if Shin-chan was playing this game as well.

“Well, it all depends. A bright shade of green would definitely fit you, but in that case, a darker or grimmier color may tarnish you. You fit with a more optimistic green, in my opinion.” 

_ This man is going to be the end of me... _

Midorima finished fixing his nails and then began turning Takao’s hands around for a while. Takao wondered what the hell was he looking for, but he was enjoying the slight caresses on the back of his palm. 

“Good… stretch out your fingers as much as you can.”

He observed as Midorima compared always his bandaged left hand to Takao’s right, and then he nodded once or twice before taking out the tape from his pocket.  Takao understood then what he meant yesterday when he showed him the tape roll, but he still failed to comprehend how it’d all help his cause. Shintaro explained Takao’s fingers were slim and slightly crooked, so he’d have to put some layers of tape to make them uniform. If they could mold them to his liking, maybe he could teach Takao how to balance the ball on his tips, or in given case, with the entire palm of his hand.

“Huh, so this is the great difference between a genius and a mere peasant like me…” He murmured while Midorima treated him, wondering if all of it were not just mere inventions made up by Shin-chan, whom, Kazu had to admit, was not the most normal person in the world.

“You shouldn’t remove the bindings while we’re playing, though. My bindings are in order to keep my fingers from getting hurt, but yours are actually to help you during play.” He said as he ignored his comments and began to bind beneath the second phalange on his right pinky. “In case you’re wondering, when I began playing basketball, I experimented with the bandages many times… it helped me calm my compulsions and I eventually  learned a few tricks.”

“I didn’t know… but I’m glad. We’ll be binding buddies, then!” Takao said, and he was so excited Midorima almost found it cute. “It looks kinda cool!”

“You’ll have to do it frequently if you want to shoot triples or make complicated passes using this technique, so I’ll have to teach you how to bind them on your own, in case I’m not around.”

“Then I’ll practice with yours, as ever, so that I don’t ruin your nice work with mine.”

“Fine.... Some of the bandages have been hanging loose for a while, since we’ve been playing in your room.” Midorima unwrapped his middle and index fingers and handed himself to his friend for practice. Takao took his hand and began doing the binding with utmost care, like he did whenever they did this after a match.  Shin-chan kept giving him instructions so that takao would not make mistakes and would have to do everything all over, wasting the adhesive  tape in the process.  Even so, his voice was soft and he didn’t scold him , like he always did,  when he messed up some of the steps. The space between the thumb and the index finger was perhaps the worst one, but Midorima guided him until everything was on it’s place again.

“You know… I’ve always liked your hands.” Takao blurbed and mentally slapped himself for admitting that out loud. “Ah…” 

_ ¡¡That sounded less gay in my head!!  _

“Sorry! Sorry Shin-chan! I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine...” There was a slight blush on his cheeks, but he wasn’t bothered. “Your hands are nice, too.”

“Oh, a compliment!” Takao’s eyes were shimmering with excitement.

“Ugh, shut up, Takao.”

“Oh, come on, we were making so much progress! Fine, I’ll shut up.” However, Takao he knew he was terrible at keeping his mouth shut. “No, but seriously, I really adore your hands, Shin-chan… they’re so large and so thin… I don’t know, perhaps they project perfectly just who Shin-chan is.”

“You’re being silly now. Hurry, or it’ll get darker and we won’t be able to practice until tomorrow.” Midorima insisted, but he didn’t pull away from Takao’s grip. His friend seemed to be thinking about something as he soothingly caressed the veins on his palm and his wrist. Midorima shivered and his blush grew stronger, since the situation became a little bit more intimate than he’d actually wanted.

“Ah! I... I-I’m… I’m sorry!- He apologized and let go immediately.- “I just got a bit entranced, I really like you… ah, I mean your hands! That’s it!” 

_ Kazunari, how’s about you learn how to keep silent once and for all? _

No, he definitely shouldn’t have opened his mouth, and trying to fix it  was only making things worse. 

“I… seriously don’t know what I’m saying.  I’ll try to shut up now.” 

_ Great, I’ve finally outshined myself and Shin-chan’s going to run away from here. There’s no coming back… fuck… Kazu, you’re an idiot!! _

“Yes, shut up, please….” Unexpectedly, Shintaro stretched his fingertips and covered Takao’s mouth with them so that he’d not speak anymore as he frowned and blushed violently. After a few tense and long seconds of silence and intense stares shared between them,  Midorima’s hand trailed down to his jaw and it held Takao’s neck with gentleness for a few seconds.

Takao rested his cheek against his touch and closed his eyes to enjoy the coldness of the fingers caressing him, but he blinked in confusion when he noticed how strange the situation had turned. Midorima stared at him estranged as well, but refused to pull away… Takao was not thinking, and he didn’t know how to calculate the consequences at the time. The dark-haired boy held the other’s hand and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles, a slow and lingering kiss without any consciousness that made Shintaro back away, almost fearful.

“W-what are you doing?” Midorima asked softly a few seconds later, and Takao pushed him away abruptly and  stood up as quick as he could, his face colored a deep shade of crimson as if all the blod had rushed to his head. He helped the taller boy to get on his feet as well, after a few seconds he took for himself to help himself breath and recompose.

“Hey, what do you say if we, uhhh… go to the park now and… uh… get to practice.” 

_ Goddamnit, Takao... _

“Y-yes, that’s a good idea.” Midorima followed him outside the bathroom and they walked towards the door where they had already left their things a few hours ago. Practice would help them get distracted, the cold summer air would bring them some peace of mind after the many incidents that happened that evening at Takao’s house. Yet, Midorima’s heart wouldn’t stop beating as if it was about to burst out of his chest, because none of this had been within his plans for today...

* * *

As soon as they arrived they began playing their match, Takao playing as Shooting guard and Midorima playing as defense so that Takao could practice his shots, but the height difference was not helping them much. Just as he had predicted, the propulsion he shot the ball had improved a lot and his aim was practically perfect,  but Shin-chan managed to block him because his shots had a lower angle. Most of their adversaries would be taller than him, so Takao had to find a way to execute his shots avoiding to be blocked by them.

“That’s precisely what I wanted to show you. Aomine gave me the idea on a certain occasion we were playing against Murasakibara. Since Atsushi is taller than all of us, we had to look for a chance to pass through him. My shots were never a problem, but Aomine and Kise could not score from up close. Now, because Aomine had played Street Ball most of his life, it was really easy for him and Kise just had to copy his movements. I didn’t think it was a good technique, but I think you’ll find it useful. I also got an idea from watching a video of one of Kise’s ex-teammates.”

Takao had understood perfectly what he meant by that, he’d watched Aomine’s irregular long shots a lot of times and Moriyama’s unorthodox shots. Even so, Shin-chan made a very inclined shot with just one arm, that hit the net with a loud noise.

“Have I ever told you your talent is… scary?”

“Just try it.” He answered with annoyance and threw the ball at his partner’s hands. They continued with their practice and, after being blocked for the third time, the hawk eyed boy threw himself back to throw the ball freely and take advantage of his own body’s impulse. It was  an experimental and completely risky shot, but it proved efficient, because the arch and his range increased significantly and Shintaro was unable to stop him on time. 

Midorima was surprised and had a slight smile on his lips, but he noticed Takao was losing his balance because his legs and his spine were bended backwards. He was flexing his knees as if he was about to kneel, but the strength from his shot had given him a few seconds of momentum that Shintaro took in advantage to catch him before he crashed against the ground and hurt himself in the process.

He stretched both arms and held him by the wrists, pulling towards himself so that Takao would recover his balance. If he’d not held him, he’d have crashed on his back against the ground, hitting his head and twisting his legs in a very painful position.  He pulled forward a bit forcefully to bring him towards himself and give some support, maybe he did so out of instinct. An instinct to protect him from getting hurt. 

Takao’s eyes locked on his, both in surprise and anxiety when he crashed against his chest, almost as if they were embracing each other. Startled as he was, Takao barely heard the ball entering the net without touching the hoop and bouncing away from the concrete court. His eyes wouldn’t dare to drift apart from Shin-chan’s, but he could see the stray ball thanks for his personal ability once it had stopped moving. It seemed as if time had stopped between them, but Kazunari could not avoid smiling widely. Maybe if was because of his nervousness, maybe he was just proud his shot had worked. At that moment, he couldn’t care less. Shin-chan was not letting him go and had him cradled against his chest. 

“I did it, Shin-chan! It went in perfectly...” He muttered, not actually expecting any other answer than an arrogant remark on how it was all thanks to having a very good teacher. He wasn’t wrong, though.

“Indeed you did. I’m… I’m proud of you, Kazu.” There was something really weird about Shin-chan’s tone, as if he was talking to someone else rather than Takao. It reminded him of that older brother tone he used while talking with Megumi-chan, or that voice little Shintaro used in front of his proud parents. It even reminded him of that affectionate voice he tried to conceal whenever he talked with their cat, but after all, it was a loving and tender voice. Takao swallowed.

Shintaro was still holding his arms when he leaned down towards him, and Kazunari backed away in panic. He didn’t know if his sudden cowering was because Midorima was being kind to him and was complimenting someone other than himself, or because, from Takao’s perspective, it almost seemed like he was going to kiss him. In his confusion and his sudden fearful demeanor, he pushed Midorima away. The terribly hurt expression on Midorima’s face made Takao regret everything. If he knew he’d have done something so stupid that evening, he’d not have gotten up in the morning.

_ No… no! what the fuck is happening?! This wasn’t supposed to go this way! _

Midorima walked away frowning, all signs of that loving and proud Shin-chan had vanished in an instant. Takao tried to hold his arm, but the green haired teen pushed him away and moved onwards, walking towards the abandoned ball. He began packing up his things with an angered pace, while Takao remained frozen on his place. After a while, he managed to stop the burning sensation in his eyes, or at least tried to hide it from his friend, but he was completely unable to cheer himself up at the moment. What was he even supposed to do? All of it was so unexpected, mostly coming from Shin-chan… 

“I’m sorry.” He said when he was done packing his back and undoing the lock on his bike. “I don’t know what got into me. I…”

“Hey, cheer up, man… It’s not the end of the world.  H-how’s about we never talk about this again, right, Shin-chan?” Takao tried to sound as casual and positive as possible, but it only seemed to hurt Midorima more. “Let’s go back, it’s getting late.”

But Midorima refused. The taller teen decided it was best to run back at home before he could not hold his anger and pain any longer. He refused to go back to Takao’s place to pick his jacket because he wouldn’t be able to face Suzume, or face Himitsu-san’s all-knowing and pitiful smile. Takao would try to brush everything away with jokes and very acid humor and it’d only make things worse and it’d also worsen Midorima’s foul mood. Perhaps, if he was lucky enough, his mother wouldn’t even ask why he was rushing as fast as he could towards his room, where he ended up locking himself without getting more than three hours of sleep, after tossing around his bed for hours. He’d surely regret all of it later, because they’d have their last practice before their next official match soon and his body would totally come to pay its due. He’d stay over his bed, tossing and turning, unable to process what had just happened that evening…

Planning on going to college together, Takao had shown he was  the most selfless person he’d ever met, no matter what he thought about himself. Sacrificing his own dreams and goals because of his… yeah, all of that had left his emotions and illusions on his sleeve.  When shintaro got raided by such a wide range of emotions, he’d usually cause stupid issues like this one. It had also caused that, through his short life, he’d prefer to hide his feelings from other people, fearful to be ridiculed, and fearful to push those dear to him away. And now that he’d finally managed to become close to Kazu, this happened… it all looked like a very tasteless joke.

Their lazy evening spent together seemed like a distant memory. The only thing that kept coming back and forth on his mind was the phantom traces of Takao’s fingers on his wrist and the soft pressure his lips had left against his knuckles.  Then, that moment of hesitation, their bodies so close to each other as the sound of the abandoned basket ball echoed on the background… the glimmer in Takao’s eyes, filled with expectation and hope, that then turned into pain, panic and burning rage… ah, those cursed, beautiful eyes!

_ I’m losing my mind again... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a really bad person, because I'll leave you hanging for a while before these two dorks reconcile. I need to finish up some chapters before continuing with the edition and translation.
> 
> Next time: The results of the training, against another kind of light and shadow.


	10. You may not notice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: making up || Vs. Seirin || A light dose of KagaKuro drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you'd thought I had died... you were almost right. I had a terrible month, with lots of work and an opening event, a new project starting at the museum, my mother fell ill and was in the hospital for a week (nothing serious), and I had no energies and time to sit down and write. Actually, no... I did have a lot of time to write, I took my time and I'm just one chapter away from finishing Out of the Comfort Zone! Aaaaand I started three other fics that I'll be sharing with you soon, hopefully. All of them are AUs and I really like the way they're going :D But nothing in this world motivated me to do the editing for chapter 10 because I LOATHED this part and I had to rewrite it from scratch and ugh. In the end, it helped I got really mad at the end of Last Game and that I found a song that reminded me so much of Bakagami and Kuroko. Recs can be found at the end. Anyway, thanks for coming back, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> This was supposed to be updated yesterday, November 21st, in celebration of Kazu's B-day, but my computer died and I only managed to upload the spanish version in FF. . net.

Much to both of their demise, Takao and Midorima kept their promise and continued with their lives as if nothing had ever happened that night. The problem was that whenever the situation reached that far, they gave each other an unbearable cold shoulder. Just two days away from an important match, this was driving Kazunari insane, but it was also maddening the rest of their teammates. Another issue was that it was almost impossible to keep the distance between them, as they were still classmates, teammates, and basically neighbors, so ever since the first day, Tae, their comrades and the coach knew something had happened: they trained the least with one another, unlikely to what they’ve done since Inazuma, Tatsumaki and Tae had known them. Nobody dared to bring it up, but they worried their teamwork got drastically compromised on their next game, for whichever reason the captain and the vice-captain had fought about.

They’d be competing against Seirin next, and as they’d seen during the practice match, the white and red team was going through a hard time ever since their veterans graduated and Kagami had left the club for a while. That didn’t lessen to the fact that they were very skilled opponents, no matter how vulnerable or weak they would seem at the moment. If they believed only for a second that it’d be easy to defeat them, now that they only depended on Kagami’s brute strength, they’d be completely busted by the first quarter’s end. They needed to concentrate on the matter at hand… but there was something in the way keeping the attention of both third years.

Midorima grunted to himself as he trained alone and dragged his feet to the bench, claiming the third stray ball he’d failed to score that evening.

“Senpai…!” Inazuma screamed and intercepted him, removing some sweat from the auburn locks of hair that fell over his eyes. The Center of the team shot the ball at his senior so that he’d take another hit, but the ball smashed against the ring and it bounced away from their grasp. Midorima clicked his tongue, bothered, and gripped his head as if he was about to get a terrible headache.

“No good at all…” He muttered, but Inazuma was able to hear him and his expression immediately changed from a friendly grin into an angry one.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting really strange and aloof since yesterday.”

“It’s nothing”, he said coldly and sighed, signaling him to make another toss. His passes were not as clean and precise as Takao’s, but at least he made good practice.

“Will you be alright for the game? It’s just two days from now…” The boy didn’t sound as angry as many other partners Midorima had in the past used to get mad at him, like they’d have done for his short answers and demeaning attitude. Even so, he wasn’t happy either. “We’re all very worried.”

“I said it’s nothing.”

Inazuma was just a few inches shorter than Midorima, but the greenhead’s firm posture made him look quite intimidating. Even so, the younger one didn’t step back, but he frowned with anger. He finally understood how complicated Takao-senpai’s work had to be as his one and only parter. He surely had to get on with his whims and his egocentric nature on a daily basis, and that had been their routine for three years. He had no doubt of why’d they fought, because in just two minutes he’d managed to piss him off real quickly.

Inazuma sighed with ire and stepped in front of Midorima to face him.

“I’ll be completely honest with you, Midorima-san… I don’t like you. Not in the least when you’re like this and Takao-senpai is not babysitting you.” Midorima stopped dead on his tracks, with both his hands still atop of his head, ready to shoot the ball. Why? Why did he had to bring that unfortunate idiot into this conversation? “The captain has been going on and on about friendship and comradeship and all that crap about taking Shutoku to victory, but up until now, I believe he’s the only teammate you consider worthy to play with.”

“And what’s your point exactly?” Midorima asked bothered, but quite interested on knowing what Inazuma was talking about.

“What’s gonna happen now that you don’t talk anymore? Will you play on your own again, like everyone’s worthless crap once again? We should be teammates, dammit! What do we need to be up to your expectations, Midorima-sama?!”

Inazuma was really annoyed and he’d started to raise his voice. Midorima answered in the very same tone, and both were dragging the attention of the rest of the club. Takao heard the issue immediately and approached them, even if he was aware of the conflict ever since it had started thanks to his Hawkeye. He ran towards them with full intention of breaking the fight apart, because, as always, Shin-chan was not letting it go. However, it was Nakatani-sensei who’d already reached the scene and was splitting them up before the fight got actually nasty.

“Midorima, go for a walk around the gym. Takao, go with him. Inazuma, go to the showers and cool your head off.”

Shintaro let out a low growl and reluctantly walked outside the court with Kazunari dragging his feet behind him. Slightly nervous, the Point Guard didn’t dare to start a conversation immediately.

“Takao…” It was Midorima who broke the silent treatment, and there was something in his voice that was abnormal. Takao arched an eyebrow and approached him slowly when he called. “Am I still such an egoistic jerk, even now?”

“Huh?” Kazunari placed a hand on his shoulder and felt a slight tremble coming from his friend’s body as he made contact.

Shin-chan… are you crying?

He made him turn around and fortunately he noticed his friend had not cried at all, but he looked bothered and annoyed still.

“What happened?” Takao asked with a patient voice, and even if Shin-chan averted his gaze, he allowed Takao to take him by the arm without pushing his hands away from him.

“Nothing has changed… I’m still whimsy about everything and this only damages our team. What happened a few days ago, for example… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t fret, ok?” Takao smiled and dared to pat him a couple of times on his cheek, tracing his fingers for a few seconds over his soft skin. “We both overreacted, that’s all. ¿Would you like to talk about it?”

“But you said we should never talk about it again.”

“You know I say a lot of shit and I usually don’t think before I ramble on. Come on, it almost seems like we’ve not been together for three years. Would you mind if we talk about it after the match with Seirin? We have a lot of stuff to arrange before we can think of anything else.” He insisted and pointed at the gym with his head.

“Sounds like a plan.” Shin-chan sighed and leaned in closer to Takao, who gave a slight sep backwards. His body still responded with nervousness, but he returned to the previous stance with full consciousness and he grabbed Shintaro’s arm lovingly.

“Shin-chan, I…” No, this was not the moment and Takao knew it perfectly. He’d thought about this moment inside his head for years and he’d not let it happen after a stupid half-assed fight. This wasn’t what he wanted. “Never mind… W-what do you think if I propose a little challenge, eh? Let’s go inside and apologize to Inazuma. Try to get close to him and play along like you always do with me, as if he was your everyday partner.”

“You know I can’t change you…”

“Hah, yet that didn’t stop you back then. Still, lucky me for having such a loyal man by my side!” Takao laughed and mocked him, pulling from Midorima’s jersey to drag him back into the gym. “You know I don’t mean it like that, it’s a challenge after all. I swear I won’t get jealous this time. Your goal by the time we win against Seirin is that Kyou-chan acknowledges you as our ace and that he stops loathing you.

“Heh, now you’re talking about doing hard challenges.”

“I don’t think it’d be that hard.” Takao said with sincerity and stopped just at the entrance, which was now slighly opened. “You may not notice it, but you’ve changed a lot and I know the guys really appreciate when you play with them in the same way you play with me. You’re what brings this team together, Shin-chan, believe it or not.”

Midorima blushed and dragged his eyes away from Takao once more. He walked into the gym behind him and found the rest of the team gathered around the bench, planning another quick five on five just before heading home. It’d be the last practice they’d have that evening before facing Seirin, so they’d have to do their best and stop behaving like idiots as they’d been doing all day. Shintaro asked for a second so that he’d be able to apologize directly with Inazuma, who stared at him with surprised but happy eyes. Everyone shared that confused stare that always surfaced when Takao managed to convince him of doing something out of normalcy, but they were glad the situation hadn’t turned for worse. Even if either of them were violent, Inazuma had a very explosive temper, and Midorima, even if calm, wouldn’t just stand there and let himself be screamed at.

Shintaro apologized for compromising the training session of the entire team and even for the possibilities of screwing up the upcoming match. He insisted that part of the matter had been because of a personal disagreement he’d have against the captain, but it had little to do with basketball at the time. It had affected them so much that he was unable to concentrate on the court. As he smiled, he bowed down and dragged Takao down with him so that they’d both apologize for causing trouble to them.

What a way to break over the tension… I never believe I would say this, but thanks, Kyou-chan!

“Mainly, I want to apologize to both of you. Takao, Inazuma, I’m sorry I’m such a bother at times.”

“It’s hard to deal with a basketball idiot like this one from time to time, but he’s not as bad as he seems”, Takao said and poked him on the ribs. Midorima seemed regretful of even apologizing to him, but Inazuma laughed and shook his head in disagreement.

“No, perhaps I lost my head way too quickly, senpai. Let’s leave it be, we have to win and we can’t lose any more time on stupidities like these.”

“Talking seriously, Shin-chan is right. We should have asked for your help instead of bottling it up and remain angry at one another for such a long time, it’d affect our team so much, I apologize as well.

Takao bowed and smiled. The rest of the newbies smiled and approached the green haired boy to resume their training, waiting for his and Takao’s instructions. Shin-chan may have never noticed, but he was one of the most important pillars for his team and one of their greatest inspirations. He observed him bumping fists with Inazuma and they resumed their training before joining the last 5 vs. 5. Sometimes, Takao did not comprehend why Marbo had named him captain instead of Shin-chan.

When Marbo honored Takao with the right of commanding the team, the captain explained their best strategy to take against Seirin would be to act flexible and creative on the court. Nobody believed Midorima would be able to follow such a rule, as indomitable and strict the Shooting guard was, he was perhaps the most inflexible person on the planet. He always had trouble following orders or playing in teams for almost six years, and it seemed this would not be the end of it. Yet, he committed Takao’s petition as perfect as possible, and oh, boy did it bring good results in the end. Takao’s idea was very simple: it was a strategy based on demoralizing the opposing team. If Seirin did not find a pattern to follow quickly, and if they were always standing on unstable ground, it’d be very hard for their support as a team to be great.

The coach and the manager had studied thoroughly each of their opponents for this occasion, and they were pretty much conscious about the lack of harmony that Seirin suffered ever since the third years graduated past spring. Generally speaking, they’d faced some problems ever since Kagami left the team for an entire semester past year, because if he had no light to play with, Kuroko’s tricks were not the same as before. The balance had been broken, and Shutoku had to take advantage of that weakness during this year’s first season.

Through the first half, the game went as usual. Kagami blocked half of Midorima’s shots, which were carefully aimed towards the net, but Araashi managed to dunk them as the rebound happened. As such, Kagami was unable to stop them both. The other hits had been perfectly covered by Inazuma’s agile defense. By the beginning of the second quarter, Midorima decided it’d be better to lure Kagami into a trap that they’d set since the beginning. He tricked him with a quick dribble and managed to lock him between the Power Forward and the Center. Arashi’s immense potential proved useful, because he could stop Kagami before he was able to reach Shin-chan. Everyone hoped he’d not enter the Zone so soon, if they were lucky he’d only use that ability once they’d reached the finals, but Shutoku would not let that happen. At that moment, Midorima had managed to connect two shots, leaving the score at 22 vs. 34 by the time the second quarter ended and the referee called for the mid-term break.

All through that first half, Takao managed to control Kuroko and Furihata on his own, favored by his own special ability. Tatsumaki also ruled over the two first-years alone, that even if they were inexperienced, they had occupied Seirin’s regular positions. For 20 minutes, Takao kept a mischievous smile on his lips that Midorima knew it annoyed Kuroko to no end, and he couldn’t help but smile in return as he observed his ex-companion get pestered by his partner’s trick. From time to time, it was fun to watch somebody else’s suffering because of Kazu’s idiocities. 

The second half showed how much they missed Kiyoshi, Hyuuga and Izuki’s support. Furi was doing an excellent job, but Takao won him over with experience and self-esteem on the court. He managed to intimidate him quite easily and he could see through his plays that modified the rhythm of the game. Takao knew they were doing fine… perhaps too fine for his own liking. He approached his team after speaking to the referee shortly, just before the intermission started. He cleansed the sweat from his brow, with a wide smile that revealed he was slightly nervous, as Midorima and the coach could tell. Even so, takao seemed to have a plan, so Nakatani trusted him with the team once more. They needed an strategy where all of them would work as one, because as frail as Seirin was, they had to exploit them as hard as they could. If they wanted to dispel the breach on the score through the third quarter, they had to attack mercilessly from now on.

“What do you have in mind, Takao?” Midorima asked, adjusting his lucky item into his wrist. It was a checkered armband, very similar to the ones Kuroko always used. Takao had managed to get his hands on the pretties one, because they’d need every inch of luck in the world to win this.

“Remind me of something, Shin-chan… What did Oha-Asa say about Leo today?” Takao asked while they readied themselves to resume the game. The shorter one took his bottle of water from Midorima’s hands and drank from it without paying any mind that they were sharing. Shintaro didn’t complain, he just fixed his lenses and focused on calling back his memories.

“Abrupt changes may bring misfortune today. If you play it safe, you’ll be able to get over any trouble coming your way.” He chanted and Takao’s grin widened. He laughed with a low growl and patted him strongly on the back

“Then you know what you need to do, our beloved ace. Get out there and beat his ass, Shin-chan.”

After a few minutes in which Midorima played as usual, with long and dangerous shots that turned him into a menace at whichever point on the court he stood, there was something that changed the game’s rhythm abruptly. It was Seirin’s coach who noticed something odd was happening and that it wasn’t precisely Midorima who’s causing it. Riko asked for a break, knowing she was thinning out their chances.

She had noticed something abnormal on the plays done by the boy with jersey number 9, Araashita. Even if his form was very similar to Kagami and Aomine’s for what Riko had studied, his game seemed even closer to Midorima’s at this point, and he was altering the co-op held by Kuroko and Furihata. Riko changed the marks on his players, but when they resumed the match, she noticed the Center with jersey numer 8 had also changed positions: instead of playing defense, he was attacking harshly. That way, not even the newbies, nor Furi or Kuroko could keep up marking them both, because there were three people in the offence of the rival team.

Takao took his chance to ask the coach for help and make his intentions clear with the rest of the team. Nakatani seemed pleased and let Kazunari explain that if they managed to destabilize Kagami just enough with constant attacks, he’d not be able to stop them all. Playing with flexible positions would cause that none of his five opponents would be able to tell who was playing as defense or attacking anymore. Takao had gotten that idea when he saw Shin-chan playing against Kise at some point. Midorima was extremely efficient as an attacker, but he was equally scary as defense. Kise had a lot of trouble trying to copy both of his styles, and at that moment Takao thought it could be a very powerful weapon to use against the miracles. It’d be an even more deadly sword if he managed to convince the entire team to wield it.

If we keep it up like this, they won’t know how to close the gap. During the practice match, they even had a little taste of what we were doing, but now… they won’t even know what hit them!

Just as Kazu had guessed, Kagami was tiring his resources and the newcomers were having a hard time following up like their senpai did. They needed a lot of support to get the three marks away from them, that asides from that, they kept switching between defense and offense indiscriminately. The true ace on the sleeve popped out during the last quarter, when Takao told Midorima to handle Kagami on his own. He went back to play as the Shooting guard, but his shots were not as pristine and his strength was unmeasured and uncontrolled. The ball didn’t cut clean through the net and it hit the ring violently, crashing against the floor with a very loud noise. The change of habits and attitude made Kagami unable to cope with this new form of attack Shin-chan was using, thus the score tied in just a couple of minutes It’d be eight very long and complicated minutes until the end.

 

Coach Aida screamed at them from the bench so they’d notice the change of positions, but it was already too late. Takao had no marks on his person anymore and he was making his aerial pass with perfect precision. Not even Kuroko’s misdirection worked against Midorima this time, as it seemed only Takao knew how his partner was going to play next. When Shin-chan caught the ball, he had Kuroko and Kagami right in front of him, and he knew shooting to win it would be very risky, even if the pass had been flawless. With a strong swing, he returned the ball to Takao still suspended in mid-air. Takao took his position and landed a three-pointer, dragging the score further away from Seirin. The audience roared with cheer, and Takao and his partner high fived each other in celebration. Kagami and Kuroko looked at each other with desperate expressions, and Takao knew immediately his tricks were working perfectly. If they keep breaking their own rules steadily, there would be no way that they could recover. At this rate, Kuroko would tire down and he’d end the match benched because of exhaustion.

Kagami patted him on the back to cheer him up and bring Kuroko back to reality when the whistle blew to resume the game, but Kuroko didn’t seem to want to come back. For Takao, it was really easy to evade him a second time and he landed the ball on Shin-chan’s hands again, while Inazuma and Araashita stopped Kagami together. Seirin’s new Shooting guard was good, but he was way shorter than Shin-chan and it was impossible for him to stop the violent three pointer that flew across the court and landed perfectly on the ring.

“We’ll definitely stop them… cheer up, Kuroko!” Kagami insisted, but Kuroko was completely beaten.

“Kagami-kun…” Tetsuya stopped abruptly and from the corner of the eye Takao noticed his eyes were filled with tears. He’d been unintentionally spying on their conversation, but he didn’t want to get involved into something so personal, so he walked away and let the game take its course. Seirin would not come back miraculously like they always did during the last five minutes, not when Kuroko was as depressed as he was that evening. Takao could assume what was causing all this trouble, but he decided it’d be better to just accept their victory without bragging about it. Shin-chan also seemed to comprehend immediately, because he did not say any arrogant commentary in front of his ex-teammate and his rival that evening.

When the match was over, both teams bid farewell and headed to the locker rooms. Takao had some pending business with some journalist and then with Nakatani, so Midorima had to wait for him to get back home once again before parting ways, because they’d agreed to catch dinner to celebrate entering the knockout. Kazu insisted he’d not take more than half an hour, so they accorded to meet on Maji Burger in just a few minutes. Shintaro picked up their stuff, deciding it was a better option to wait sitting and with a burger on his plate.

He sat on a cabinet on the back with his plate full of two orders of junk food. The cashier had stared down at him, but she should mind her own business if he, a) was waiting for someone, or b) Midorima had a disgusting diet like Atsuhi or Kagami’s. And, speak of the devil, as Midorima was about to take a bite of his snack, he heard the redhead’s voice behind his back. A bit overtaken, Midorima let his burger fall down on the plate and coughed a couple of times, ashamed he’d drag their attention because he hated to be involved in situations that, being completely honest, he couldn’t care less.

Oh for heaven’s sake… what would Takao do if he were here?, he thought when he noticed he was trapped between his rivals and the exit. That idiot would probably burst into the conversation or would be spying over the seat....

Shintaro sighed and decided it’d be better if he just waited and listened. Now he was remorseful for leaving his headphones at Takao’s. Kagami was engulfing his typical dozen of hamburgers, though he did not do so at his usual alarming speed. Every 30 seconds (Midorima was impressed by Kuroko’s timing), the blue haired boy drank from his vanilla milkshake, but neither of them talked for almost five minutes.

“Kagami-kun…” The shorter one dared to speak first. Shintaro could imagine the stupid expression Kagami would have on his face at this point, with his mouth filled with food. “We need to talk”.

“I know” The other man answered after he swallowed. “Kuroko, I’m so sor---”

“No, don’t say it. I cannot stand when things get to that point. You know there’s no use in asking for forgiveness… Whatever it was, it’s already done and we cannot do much about it now.”

“We still have the Winter Cup ahead of us, don't be such a defeatist... Weren't you the one who said the match is not really lost until the last man gives up on trying?”

“It almost seems like we weren’t playing the same match. We did terribly…”

“It was to be expected. We don’t have the captain, Kiyoshi and Izuki-senpai’s support this time.”

“I wasn’t talking about the team. I meant you and I”.

Kagami fell into an awkward silence. It seemed as if Kuroko had slapped him, but in reality his words just hurt a lot. Shintaro heard a low grunt coming from Seirin’s ace, who didn’t know what to say against Kuroko’s accusations.

“I… I know it’s my fault. That’s why I wanted to come back. You said there was nothing wrong in…”

“No, there was nothing wrong with it, that’s why I don’t want you to apologize. I understand you were just chasing your dream. But ever since you returned, things have not gone back to the way they were before. Those six months you were missing were the worst for the team because… because I had no light to play with. Now we’re suffering the consequences.”

“I swear I’ve been giving my best on each game, Kuroko, I don’t know what’s missing. I told you I’d always be your light, didn’t I? We just gotta try harder.”

“Kagami-kun…” Kuroko made a pause, one of those he always took whenever he had to stop to think before he spoke. Midorima felt he was listening to some kind of romantic banter between two lovers, and he wasn’t so off the mark in practical terms. “I don’t actually think you’re the problem, no matter how cliche this sounds… I think the one who has been spoiling things is me. When you left… I also left the team for a couple of weeks. I didn’t offer my resignation as I did in Teiko, I just told the coach and Hyuuga-senpai that I would not show myself for a while. They understood, but by the time the Winter cup started we noticed that… not only you were missing, but it also seemed I was not there with them at the court. More than half of the games I got benched, and in the end we got declassified by the knockout.”

“I know. Koga and Furi wrote me during those days. It was awful by then on my own in America, so I had to come back, because of that as well. Because of you.”

“You know?” Kuroko let go some sort of choked laughter, that sounded as if he was crying out of melancholy and it was not a happy laughter at all. “Today’s match reminded me of so many things I would have liked to forget when you left. I remembered what it was like to play with my teammates in perfect harmony, how fun it was to play a match until you cried out of joy, what if felt to have a perfect synergy with my light, and what it means to be that shadow you needed to take our team to victory. But… I’d have liked to live it myself instead of watching it happen to Midorima-kun and Takao-kun.

Shintaro stopped on his harsh labor as a spy and his mindless contemplation on his social media on the phone’s screen. The last thing that had caught his attention was a text from Takao about the meeting, saying he was going to be a couple of minutes late. At the moment he heard his name coming out on his rivals’ conversation, he stopped paying attention to Takao’s kitten videos he’d sent to distract him. He didn’t even bother to answer with his typical “die” monosyllabic texts, or as he usually did in Takao’s specific case, with an insulting “Fuck off” image with a nice background.

“Are you jealous?” Kagami sounded estranged, but just as depressed as his shadow.

“No, not jealous. I just long for what they have, I don’t know if you catch my drift. It was what we used to have. But… as they say, the brightest flames also burn the fastest.. I don’t know if you and I… the same as what happened with Aomine-kun, maybe you and I are not… anymore…”

“Kuroko, what we have is very different than what you had with Aomine… and I’m pretty sure it’s not the same thing as whatever it is Midorima has with Takao. I know it was my fault, and you’ve had a lot of trouble these past months. Please, give me another chance… let’s play like we always did, before the Winter Cup.

Maybe Shintaro had never put it into perspective, but now that he put his mind into it, Kuroko had lost quite a lot of important people to him in the past months. His grandmother had passed away by the end of the second year, when Kagami had already left for the United States. Afterwards, almost at the start of his last year in Seirin, Tetsu’s mother had fallen gravely sick. Due to her health issues, she and her husband decided to move to the countryside, leaving the young boy alone in the city for at least a year. As soon as Kagami knew about it and offered his still empty apartment to his friend, he took the decision to come back to Japan.

Midorima had no idea that Kagami’s career with the NBA had apparently crashed and burned before it even took flight, but now that the pieces of the puzzle started to settle into a clear image, he understood why today’s game had been so poor. If he was honest, he felt slightly guilty for taking advantage as Takao’s strategy proposed, but he couldn’t blame it on Kazu either because he had no idea of knowing any of this.

“It’d be as if we were starting from scratch…” Kuroko said with a slightly more optimistic tone. “I don’t ever want to follow Takao-kun’s example, if I’m honest, but I do want to play with you like they showed us today.”

Believe me, Kuroko, nobody wants to have that neanderthal as a role model… Midorima smiled to himself. He could be as insulting or sarcastic as he pleased, Kazu was still his one and only neanderthal at the end of the day.

“Which leaves me to ask you one question…” Kagami said, going back to his usually speedy habit of engulfing hamburgers without regrets. “Did you also notice there was something odd with him or was it just me? If we’re talking about weirdness, usually Midorima overthrows him by far with his ridiculous shots... and for being Midorima… but this time…”

“Yes, I did notice. The strategy they used was totally his. The leadership skills, his quality passes, the precision of his shots.. he sort of reminds me of Akashi-kun’s style of game, but without being so…”

“Refined and elegant? Pompous and a complete jerk?”

“I was going to say perfectionist… but he has gotten a lot of potential, not just as a Point Guard. COach said it to me today, he seems to be exceeding everyone’s expectations… he’d by at Kiyoshi-senpai and the ex-members of Rakuzan level of play at this moment.

Midorima smiled with some sort of pride. He didn’t know how far Takao’s talents may reach, but he was joyful that his rivals were starting to notice than not only him was a menace on the court, but that his captain’s efforts had also cost tears, sweat and blood from all those days of harsh training.

And yet again, speak of the devil, the boy with the hawkeye was standing behind the lateral crystal door waving his arms at him so that Shin-chan would come out to meet him. He was pointing at a couple of tickets with cheerfulness, and Midorima was scared that Seirin’s duo could see him, because they’d immediately know he’d been eavesdropping into their conversation. He dropped everything into the plastic bag he’d asked for at the counter and dragged himself out of there, through the crystal door. He was thankful that the other two were so deep into their conversation that they didn’t notice the moment he exited the restaurant.

“Shin-chan, I got tickets for that movie premiere you wanted to see! It starts in an hour. The guy who was making the interview got them for me in exchange of helping him with his report, how cool is that?!”

“That’s perfect… how’s about we move far away from here and I pay for your popcorn tonight?”

“Huh? What’s the hurry?”

“Let’s just say that your bad habits stick to me from time to time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *About Shutoku and the characters I created for this story:
> 
> Kyou Inazuma is the team's Center, a second year who carries the no. 8 jersey. He's tall and tan, has a short temper, but he's usually kinda aloof, laid-back and kind. Slightly inspired in Hayato Shinkai from Yowamushi Pedal and Atsushi Kimisita from Days (Who's also voiced by Daisuke Ono, lol). His last name, Inazuma (稲妻) means thunder.
> 
> Ichirou Araashita, the first-year newcomer and Power forward has the no.9 jersey. Strong and slim, he's fast on the court but slow at everyday life. He admires greatly all of the Generation of Miracles and decided to join Shutoku so that he can play with Midorima. Slightly inspired in Aomine. His last name, Araashita comes from the word Arashi (嵐), that means storm.
> 
> Teiki Tatsumaki, the Small forwads is the team's no. 5 and also a second year. Kinda timin and silent, he rarely stands out from his other four teammates, but he's extremely responsible and knows how to adapt to the team's oddities. He's got some traits from Sugawara from Haikyuu. His last name, Tatsumaki (竜巻) means tornado.
> 
> Finally, Isamu Nakajima, Takao's coach that appeared a few chapters ago, will make a comeback with a supporting role that's quite relevant. Isamu Noguchi was an american-japanese artist that made a sculprutal mural in Mexico City in the thirthies. Nakajima is the last name of Chihiro's boyfriend, the main character from Banana Yoshimoto's novel "The lake". Said novel inspired another fic of mine (currently WIP) in which Shin-chan and Kazu meet through their windows when the later moves across the street, just as it happens in this beautiful novel I really reccomend to you.
> 
> *The song which inspired this heartthrobbing moment between Kagami and Kuroko is called "Just say When" by Nothing More.
> 
> *Have you ever heard the Drama CD from the series? If you haven't search for Shin-chan and Takao's story through the third season, because there will be reference to that in a few chapters, lol. I'll share the link later.
> 
> Don't miss our next episode: A little miracle happens when Shin-chan decides to rebel for a night, which will be Kazu's favorite memory for a while.


	11. The Best of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Breaking the rules || Meteor rain || patience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! get your insuline shots ready because this is the fluffiest thing I've ever written, not even for this fic, but for my ENTIRE life. It's like a beautiful monstrous baby and I feel proud of my cursed child, lol. I had the chance to finish this practically on time even if I had a lot of issues this week, mostly because the chapter remained almost the same as it was before the edit, I just added a few details in there. Let's hope the next one comes out just as quickly c:
> 
> A nice review is always welcomed! :3c Hope you enjoy~

“Takao… we need some time to talk.” Midorima said as he packed up his things after a practice match, two days after the game against Seirin. Takao turned around and sighed in slight frustration. He cursed under his breath and hoping that his friend wouldn’t listen. He knew where all of this would end, since they had a pending matter ever since the little conflict Shin-chan had a few days before.

“We barely even talked about the other day’s match. It was a good game.” The shorter teen said and they both stepped outside of the gym. They needed some space, so that nobody would listen to their discussion.

Midorima sighed, insisting his main preoccupation was that  their next matches wouldn’t let him think straight. Whether it was Kaijo, Fukuda Sougo or Kirisaki Daichi. Anyone who came victor, be it Kise and his new team, Haizaki or Hanamiya’s former team would be a pain to deal with. Yet, Takao suspected Shin-chan didn’t want to talk about their upcoming games.

“About the game from the other day…” The greenhaired boy said, getting back into topic. “ You did  well too, which takes me to that topic we left pending back then” Midorima closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, bowing to him as a sign of apology. Afterwards, he handed Takao a white carnation that the shorter one had noticed Shin-chan had brought on his bag all day.  “I’m sorry I compromised our game the other day and I apologize for acting like that for an entire week. It could have cost us dearly.

Takao took the flower. He was slightly estranged by this, because Midorima rarely gave out his lucky items until the day was done. According to what his mother had taught him about flower meanings, white carnations meant apologies, but they also meant affection and precious memories. Takao smiled and kept the flower on his bag, without asking any more questions.

“Don’t worry, Shin-chan, we’re good. It’s all said and done... was that all you wanted to talk about?” Takao asked calmly, but even if it made him happy things didn’t get to a point where it all went to hell, he was afraid Shin-chan would start to think wrongly about it, as if he would tell him they’d been spending too much time together and thus, ridiculous incidents happened. Takao was greatly afraid that Midorima would tell him that they should stop soon, yet he was glad nothing had changed after everything that happened.

“I understand, I think it was just… hormones at the time, perhaps.” Midorima crossed his arms and glanced away from him to avoid Takao’s inquiring eyes. The boy smiled and let out a little giggle. He knew Shin-chan used to do that whenever he got defensive and embarrassed. “Further than asking for an apology, and… you know… I wanted to ask you something. But it’s a bit risky.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Some sort of self-issued challenge, if you’d like to see it that way. I’d like you to come with me. Have you ever gone to the public library near Arakawa’s main street? It’s quite far away from here, but we can reach by train if we leave around 9pm.”

“The library? I didn’t know going to the library was a risky task.” Takao mocked him and laughed, but he could tell Shin-chan was serious. “Yeah, I know where it is… it’s closer to Teiko, if I recall. Why do you wanna go there?”

“Yes, it’s just three blocks away from Teiko. The library should be closing in about forty minutes or so.” He checked the clock on his cellphone’s screen and Takao stared at him in confusion. He was still unaware of Shin-chan’s intentions, but he could tell there was some strange plan forming on his bespectacled friend’s mind.

“What’s your idea, Shin-chan?”

“The rooftop has a very clear view, since there are no taller buildings around. I wanted to show you something.” Midorima shrugged while Takao stared at him wide-eyed, but extremely happy and smiling like an idiot. “But they don’t let people into the rooftop, we’ll not be able to walk through the main entrance, so we’ll have to…”

“You want to sneak in! Oh my God, Shintaro! We can get into some serious trouble if we get caught!”

“That’s why we won’t get caught. The other problem is we have to be there past midnight. We can’t ask for permission, so I don’t think our parents will be happy about this.”

Takao stared at him with his mouth agape, and this time he was not fooling around or mocking his friend.

“You _also_ plan on sneaking out of your house! Who are you and what did you do to my Shin-chan?!” Takao said, partially joking, but still genuinely scared he didn’t know where was Midorima getting all these weird ideas. “Can’t we go in the morning, when the library is open and your parents won’t kill me if something happens to you?!”

 “No, it has to be at night. Tonight. What do you say?”

 “Shin-chan, this is so, so stupid… but you sound so excited I can’t say no to you. I’ll make sure to get my lucky item for this one, actually, because we’re gonna need all the luck in the world for this one. I’ll stick my neck out for you this time, so it better be worth it!”

 “You already have your lucky item, you idiot,” He pointed at the flower on Takao’s bag and the boy noticed that Oha-Asa had actually said a silver coin would make for Cancer’s lucky item and color for today, and he’d shown it to him when they arrived at school this morning. Takao smiled and nodded, excited. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan to disappoint you.”

* * *

After they left the school, each went to their respective homes to get ready. Takao got his eyes stuck at himself in the mirror for a few minutes before the clock hit 9 pm, still incredulous about the stupidity he was about to commit. He had to catch a train to get there, and even if Midorima insisted on paying for their ride on the way back, Takao didn’t feel calm at all. Getting out of the building was just step one, and Takao had no idea if it’d be one of the hardest parts of this challenge. He lived on a third floor and fortunately there was a window on the living room that led to the main hall, that his mother always left open through the night  to cleanse the house. He could get out and back in without using the door, but he’d have to wait for his parents to be asleep to try it.

  _I look like an idiot… thinking thoroughly about it, I’m a fucking idiot._ He thought as he adjusted his bag to his waist. He had a black hoodie and dark pants, like in those stupid american spy movies who lacked common sense. He knew it’d be a breezy evening, so he made sure to take a black handkerchief around his neck in case the cold became unbearable through the night.

 Ready to go out, Takao began his climb through the window, when he heard footsteps coming from the hall inside the house. He remained still, trying to find the intruder in the dark without success… until they appeared right before him with a mischievous smile on the lips.

 “For a moment I thought you were a burglar, big bro.” Suzume said as she walked into the light with her baseball bat on her hands. Takao laughed, she was not going to intimidate anyone dressed in her baby blue pajamas with a pretty and brilliant yellow banana print on it. “... where are you going?”

 “If you keep this a secret I’ll buy you a gallon of ice cream.”

 “Oh, I wasn’t planning on telling, but now that you insist~” She laughed and smirked that smile that Takao always used when he mocked or teased people. It was identical to his mother, and also to his father’s. Perhaps it ran in the family. “Where are you sneaking out to, little Kazu?”

 “Aghh, you won’t let me be until I tell you, right?” He crawled back in and rolled his eyes as he sighed pestered. “I’m meeting Shin-chan in a while. Please don’t tell mom.”

 “Woah, woah! you’re meeting Midorima-kun this late at night?!” Suzume covered her mouth with a curious yet slightly perverted look on her eyes. “How lewd, bro... Where is he taking you?”

 “I should have known you’d be bothering me with that. Come on, Suzu,, we’re just friends.”

 “Yeah, right, and I have a PHD on nuclear chemistry.” Suzu’s eyes looked slightly dead after Takao said such a thing. “It’s obvious that Midorima-kun has got eyes for only one Takao in this life, and that has to be you,  so I decided to give it up on him, so don’t worry. You just have to promise you’ll treat him right.”

 “You runt... I swear I’ll eat all of your ice cream and I’ll hide your zines, you just wait…” Takao threatened but it only made Suzume laugh. “No, you doof... we’re meeting at a library, he wants to show me something.”

 “Ohoho, doing it on public, how daring… make sure to wear protection, then~”

“Suzume!”

“I’m joking! I’m joking! Sheesh! Wait… what day is it?

“Uh…. friday the 8th. Why?”

“Oh! I know what Midorima-kun wants to show you! But I won’t spoil it for you.” She patted her brother on the back and pushed him so that he’d get out the house through the window. “I’ll keep you covered in case something happens, just make sure to come home before Dad wakes up, please… and… whatever happens, just tell Midorima-kun how you feel, brother. You won’t regret it.”

“Uh, sure… thanks, I guess” Takao said with doubt and disappeared behind the curtains into the cold of the evening.

* * *

Takao ran to their meeting point, which was below the clock at the train station. Midorima was already there, carrying a medium sized bag on his side. When Takao asked what was it for, he said he’d explain later on, when they had reached the library’s terrace. They took the train and waited for the automatized voice to call their station It wasn’t that far away from home if they didn’t pedal all the way there, now that Takao thought about it. Once they were out of the station, Takao felt really colf because of the wind, so he stuck to Midorima’s side to steal some of his body warmth. He hoped it would not make him uncomfortable, and thankfully Shin-chan also walked in closer to him to warm up, because Takao noticed he was also shivering slightly, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark blue coat.

 When they arrived, Midorima explained there were security cameras on the lower floor, but there were none on the terrace. If they wanted to get there, they’d have to climb the next building’s emergency stairs and make a small jump to the other side. Then, they’d have to climb a fence in order to get to the highest part of the building. Takao looked at him, amazed he knew all of those details by heart.

 “Back when I was a student in Teiko, we used to sneak many times here. I didn’t like it, but from time to time I agreed to come. Akashi knew the elderly librarian who let us pass without a word, but he passed away when we started the second year. After that, Aomine was the one who discovered most of these details and Kise copied his tricks to find a way to get in and skip classes.” He explained as he showed Takao there was an emergency staircase on the back of the  collindant building and he began climbing swiftly. “Then… everything began to change and we never came here anymore.”

 “Why did you want to come back?” Takao asked and grabbed onto Midorima’s stretched arm, who offered to help him up with a tug and little effort.

 “I don’t know. Being with you reminds me of those days, but it’s quite different from then.”

Midorima pushed himself upwards and Takao could hear him move just  a floor above his head. Something was keeping him unsteady, but altogether it made the experience more exciting. Maybe it was the adrenaline, Kazu knew it, because all of this was still very very stupid and pretty much illegal. Takao climbed up as well and found Shin-chan walking in circles, as if he were considering his options. Midorima explained there used to be another emergency staircase on the library’s side, but it had seemingly been removed and relocated. The abyss between the two  buildings, at that time of the night looked like the mouth of a beast. With all that, Shintaro was unsure if they could cross without causing a tragedy.

 “Aww... we came all the way for this? No, move aside Shin-chan, let me try and reach the other side.” Takao  took his bag off his bag and stuck his back to the wall before making a run to take impulse for the jump, but Midorima stopped him before he started rushing forward.

 “No, it’s too dangerous. Forget about it.” Midorima insisted, doubting for a second. “I… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

 “Let me try. Scorpio had top luck for today, didn’t I? it can’t go wrong if I have my lucky item on me. Besides…” He said as he took the withering carnation out of the bag and placed it on his hair. “You looked really excited this morning… so I really want to do this for you. Please, Shin-chan…”

 Midorima grunted lowly, but he nodded in the end.

 “... fine. Will you be able to pull me up later?”

 “Just who do you think you’re talking with?” Takao mocked and prepared himself once again.

 Midorima could hear his own heartbeat when Takao began running. A  gasp escaped from his lips when Kazu leapt into the air. He moved his legs to gain momentum, and fortunately he landed perfectly atop of the neighbor terrace with nothing more than an ugly scratch on his knees. Takao was very light and he had learnt several tricks to balance his weight on Nakajima’s lessons, including some basic parkour techniques. Putting all of that into perspective made Shintaro feel really self conscious about making the jump himself, but adrenaline was rushing through his veins pushed him to do it, convinced that he’d actually do it if Takao was there to catch him. He  threw the bags at him with the same precision he always did when he threw the ball, then he readied himself to be next. Takao extender his arms on the other side, signaling he was ready to receive him.

 Shintaro mentally readied himself for worst, with his heart beating frantically as if it were going to escape right through his throat as he ran towards his friend, on the other side of the void. He trusted wholly on Kazu, and this incident was the perfect proof of all that. When he jumped, he closed his eyes because of the fear, because he immediately felt the pull of gravity dragging him down, as if the beast was holding tightly at his ankles. He panicked for a second, until he felt a pair of firm and strong hands grabbing his arms and then his torso, as if it were a tight embrace. Because of the strong collision, Takao fell down on his back and caught Midorima atop of him, shielding his fall. Be it the fear, adrenaline, the pain on his knees and his side,  or just the mere joy of not falling onto their deaths because of a stupidity like this, it made them both stay on their backs laughing like the idiots they were.

 “I told you I’d catch you, Shin-chan.” Takao panted as he laughed out loud and the growing pain on his back drilling onto his nerves.

 “I always trusted you would… now we just have to open the fence that takes us outside. Otherwise, we’ll have to skip it from avobe.

 “How adventurous, I didn’t know breaking in was also within your abilities. You seriously owe me an explanation!” Takao hit him jokingly on the ribs and Shintaro squealed between laughter and pain.

 “You’ll see once we get there.” He made a pause and stared at him directly on the eyes before sitting up and staying like that for a few seconds. “Kazu… you have to promise me you won’t come here if we’re not together.”

 “Why would I? this is the Generation of Miracles secret hideout, and you’re sharing it with a vile mortal like me. I wouldn’t share it for the world, Shin-chan.”

“No… the others stopped coming here when things started to turn sour, around the second half of our third year.” Midorima breathed heavily and stood up, offering a helping hand to his friend.

They got in front of the fence Shintaro had talked about, that even if it was old and rusty, it had a brand and big new lock. After inspecting the lock and assuming they’d not be able to force their entry, Shintaro crouched and brought his hands together to indicate his partner what he had to do. Takao nodded and placed a foot atop of them, letting the impulse leave him almost atop of the fence. The Hawkeye climbed the remainder of it and he let himself hang with his hands stretched so that he could help Shin-chan up. They’d never done something like this, but it seemed they had practiced it so many times before as they had perfected their shots on the court. When they were both atop of the climb, they jumped down and landed roughly on their feet on a pretty, maroon-colored terrace, with an open sky above their heads. Takao let his breath escape his lips when he saw the marvelous sight atop of him: all the stars were perfectly visible, now that they were not in the concurred and polluted metropolitan zone from Shibuya and Shinjuku.

“We used to come here to study before the other four knew of its existence… Akashi and I. When he started to change, it was quite painful to come to this place even if it was just to study, be it alone or with company. Eventually I stopped coming.”

“Oh… so this was your hideout with Akashi.” Takao let himself fall on the floor again and Midorima sat besides him. He took his bag and took out a pair of blankets to avoid freezing to death, a can of shiruko and a black coffee that he knew Takao adored. Then he gave him the bag so that he could use it as a pillow.“I can be completely honest with you, right? ...I hate that guy.”

“I know.” Midorima said, laying down on his back and resting his weight on his elbows. “For a long time I thought I hated him as well, but in the end he was…”

“Your partner.” There was so much spite and hatred in Takao’s words Midorima almost found it unbelievable his cheerful and overjoyed friend was the one speaking. “That’s… that’s precisely what I hate about him. He’s always been much more reliable and capable at things than I’d ever be. We play the same position and we’ve played along with you, and we both make you shine like never before, but he always seems to be better than me at anything he does.” Takao grunted with anger and rolled his eyes. Midorima laughed slightly at this. “When I saw you playing together last year, and he used our technique… Gah! I wanted to kill him right there! That was supposed to be _our_ secret technique! _Our_ combo!!!

“I see… that’s why you’ve been so obsessive about winning and getting better. You were jealous…. you should have told me something.” It dawned on him that perhaps he'd allowed Takao to compare himself with Akashi’s standard for a long time, too much for his own good. Still, he knew they were two completely different people.

“What would I tell you, Shin-chan? Would you want me to say that the reason I can’t stand being on the same room as that freaking midget is because you admire and love him more than you’ve ever liked me?”

_Because that’s totally true…_

Takao laughed sarcastically and tried to hide that he had blushed violently, but Midorima’s compassionate look made him understand that there was no use in trying to cover it up anymore.

“It’s not just that, but I do have to admit he’s my current target to defeat. Maybe it’s just that I’m pissed at him because he’s a lot more worthy of being called your partner it makes me so fucking angry it’s driving me nuts.” Takao trembled in anger as he clutched his fists. He’d always been passionate about basketball, Midorima knew that, but he never imagined Akashi bothered him that much. “What bothers me the most is that I know he can bring out your true potential to shine without moving a finger, while I’m fucking dying to be the best every single day… and it’s never enough…”

“You’re wrong on that, Takao.” Midorima said without even thinking it twice. He fixed his glasses and kept looking into the sky, waiting. “You’re the only one who can be my partner, it’s always been like that and I’d not have anyone else by my side, not even Akashi. You're the only who can truly bring out the best of me. It isn’t a matter on whether you’re better than him or not, I think it’s all relative.”

Kazunari looked at him with shiny and excited eyes, because he’d been begging for that affection and longed for those words for so long, that listening it like this, at that very moment, was like a lovely melody for him.

“Would you allow my selfish act of the day?” He asked, turning around slightly to stare at him. “I chose you. Of all the options, I wanted you, and I won’t let you believe there could be anyone better or more fit for the place. You’re my one and only, Kazu.”

“Shin-chan…” Takao whispered, now crying freely but smiling widely. “I’ve waited for so… so long to… I… gah, I don’t know what I’m saying…”

“Don’t say anything.” Midorima shook his head and checked his wristwatch. He knew it should be almost time for it to start, the reason he’d brought Takao to the library. He was happy to know Takao was letting it all out, all those things that had been eating him from the inside for so long.

“I’d really like to apologize. You’ve had to stand my whining and my insecurities, you should have become fed up a long, long time ago and--- Wait! Was that a shooting star?!”

Takao sat up abruptly when noticed something had moved across the sky  and it disappeared in just a second. Midorima smiled and sat up as well, and with slightly shaky hands, he took Takao by the shoulder so that he’d lay down again, this time using his arm as a pillow. Kazu snuggled softly against his friend and pointed at the sky with enthusiasm when he noticed not one, not just two, but hundreds of stars seemed to be falling from the night sky and they disappeared on the dark blue mantle above their heads. Takao smiled, because he didn’t remember the news had announced a meteor shower for tonight, even if he’d heard of the event earlier that week.

“As far as I remember, you said you’d never been able to watch them.” Midorima said after Takao stopped squealing out of emotion. He liked seeing him so happy, so he smiled lovingly as he watched him.“I’ve always watched them alone at the park close to home, but I remembered about this place and I thought the view would be better. I’m glad I wasn’t wrong.”

Takao hugged him without even thinking about it, and snuggled his nose against the crook of his neck. Shintaro doubted for a second, but then he embraced him as well and let himself be hypnotized by the lovely smell of his dark hair.

“Why are you doing this?” The shorter one asked after a few minutes of that warm silence that, if it weren’t for the bright and beautiful lights in the sky, would have helped him fall into a blissfull sleep for hours. Takao felt confused by all the mixed signals he’d been getting for the past few days. He didn’t like his feelings being played with, but he knew that was never Midorima’s intention. If Takao’s hunch was correct, it was probable Shin-chan hadn’t noticed all of these kind of little detalis got his hopes up high. “You’ve been praising me, acknowledging me, taking me to see something like this, to a place that brings you good and warm memories… w-what happened the other day… Shin-chan… what’s going on?”

“... it’s hard to explain… for someone like me. It’s part of this self-imposed challenge I talked to you about but... I’m not sure I want to explain it just yet.” Midorima closed his eyes so that he’d not have to stare at Takao’s eyes again, waited for his tone to go back down again, not as iridescent as it was at the moment. “I… I’ve noticed some things, about you… and me… and who I am when we’re together. But I’m not sure I can face it yet.”

“I understand, Shin-chan. I’ve also put some thought into it.” Takao nodded, glancing away from him as well. Both were blushing deeply, but Takao knew that even if it seemed like the perfect moment to do all those things he’d ever dreamed about, it was still not the right moment, not with someone like Shintaro. Any sudden movement may scare him off and he may run away from him, like a deer in the headlights.

Beneath the table, it all looked like this was a confession, but Takao knew his partner better than anyone: Shin-chan had a lot of trouble facing his feelings, mostly t if he felt insecure or self-conscious about them, thus this was a completely new terrain for him. However, he also knew that the perfectionist and superstitious Midorima would never do things half-assedly. If this was some sort of confession, Kazu understood this was not the best Shin-chan would hope from himself. So he had to be patient.

“Do you want to talk about this?”

“No… not now. Please wait for a while, Kazu. I hope it doesn’t bother you.”

“Shin-chan… I’ve waited so long, for almost three years. Waiting a bit longer is not going to kill me. Whatever it is,” Takao leaned in closer and stole a kiss on the kiss, almost at the corner of his lips, startling the green haired boy immediately. -You know we’re together in this, right? I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your horses, we're getting into the good stuff, my fav chapters from the fic :3c There may be some of them that are a little bit more adult than the others, but I'll let you know when that happens. 
> 
> Don't miss us the next time: Shutoku has a crisis. Midorima gets a very good (bad) idea that somehow has Kise involved. Kazu does not know wheter to cry or laugh.


	12. In for a lot of trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Crisis | Give it all for the team| Asking for help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, welcome to our amazing-plot-device chapter! We're half way through our story and, believe me, the best, funniest, and silliest parts are yet to come.

Shintaro was a very observant person. He did not have, as Takao would often point out, a very deep insight into other people’s problems. He was, perhaps, one of the less empathetic human beings on the planet. Yet, he was quick to notice whenever someone was having a bad time, and at the moment, he could see from the distance that Takao looked like he had just been slapped right on the face without a warning. He was concerned about him, but Midorima still watched from afar as the coach talked to him at the gym’s office with the curtains open. In the meanwhile, he and Tae-san were in charge of the team’s training routine for the day. He had already instructed the rest of the team on their practice, and he tried his shots on his own. As he stopped and retrieved the stray balls from the floor, he’d noticed Takao walking around in circles close to the window from the second floor, with an anguished look on his eyes. Distracted, Midorima let the balls fall and he heard them bouncing away towards where Tae was sitting. A little concerned, she walked towards him and handed the ball  back.

“Do you have any idea if there’s any problem, Tae-san?” The green haired teen asked, signaling the office. The girl shook her head.

“No, not really. The coach said he had something to talk with everyone, but he mentioned he wanted to talk with Takao-senpai first.” The manager explained as she dribbled one of the balls and threw it towards the net with her famous and well-trained hook shot. From time to time, both Takao and Midorima questioned why had Tae not joined the female basketball team. For what it seemed, she was really good thanks to her older brother’s teachings. Midorima took the other ball Tae had handed back to him and threw it with the usual perfect precision. It didn’t even touch the ring this time.

“Then we can assume there’s a problem for sure.” He didn’t even had time to formulate an hypothesis because the office’s door had opened and Marbo walked out with Takao trailing right behind him, hanging his head low.

“Everyone, please gather round!” They heard their coach speaking from the metallic staircase after he blew his whistle to call for their attention. Takao walked behind him as if he was carrying a casket in a funeral, as he eyed his little black notebook with an extremely concerned look on his face. Midorima began to worry immediately. It seemed like Kazu had read his mind, because he met his eyes with Shintaro’s and they said without words, “we’re in for a lot of trouble”. What happened that made his ever positive and bright Takao so depressed? Midorima ran towards him to check if he was doing fine, but Takao shook his head and signaled at Nakatani with his thumb, telling him to wait until Nakatani gave out the bad news.

“I’ve got some news to deliver… I’m, uh, I’m afraid they’re not very good.”

Their underclassmen gathered around the coach on the benches, while Midorima and Takao remained together behind the team. They took the chance to take a rest for the excruciating training they had been doing, but the tension seemed to grow within them as they set themselves in place and the coach cleared his throat before initiating his speech. Shintaro assumed he’d be talking about their upcoming matches and, most likely, the strategies they’d have to take to overcome the obstacles the team faced. But there was something else going on… he knew Takao would not have gotten so depressed even if they were against an impossible victory, instead he’d just grin and bear it.

“First of all, the results for the last matches in our block came in yesterday. Maybe some of you have already found out.- He breathed deeply and gave out a sheet with the knock-out brackets. -We believed Kaijo would have taken the lead, but I was mistaken. For their scoring points, Kirisaki Daichi took first place on their block and we’ll be facing them next week. Aside from the upperclassmen, are any of you familiarized with their style of play? Because we’re in serious problems right now.”

“As expected…” Midorima said as he inspected the sheet, where it read the five names of the regulars and the coach. “Makoto Hanamiya retired two years ago, but he’s back as their coach even if he’s in college now, right?”

“That’s correct, Midorima. Our strategy, which bases around having a neat game and refined textbook-perfect techniques may not be very efficient towards their team.

“Why?” Araashita asked. Of course, being a first year, he’d have never played against Hanamiya’s team.

That time Shuutoku had an encounter against them, back when Midorima and Takao were first years, Kirisaki Daichi had only used their second string players and the match had no major incidents... but they’d seen enough of his games to know how dirty the team could get. That first match they’d played against them, even if it was nothing serious,  Miyaji had been injured on the ribs and Midorima had several bumps on his arms and chest, for all the times they to push him down without the referee looking. It was one of those games where their opponent didn’t play to win. They’d given up on winning the match ever since they’d announced who were they playing against, but Hanamiya had already planned everything to make as much damage as possible. Now, however, Takao knew they’d be coming at them as violently as they could.

“Let’s just say he’s a treacherous fellow. Kirisaki Daichi did not classify for either tournament past year because they did not have any official coach, so this would be a new experience for all of you. Hanamiya was captain and coach two years ago, for some reason he’s come back now… and he has trained his underclassmen to behave in the same regard as he always did.” Takao said, clutching the notebook until his knuckles turned white. “His strategy catches his opponents… or most likely, his prey, it catches them off guard and then he breaks them, both physically and mentally. His dirty play is so refined the referee almost never notices they’re making so many faults.”

“That’s… terrible.” Inazuma said, pensive as he considered he’d be the one getting most of the torment, being that he was the main defense of their team, if all Takao said was true.

“Indeed it is. For the information Tae-chan has been gathering, they seem to come specially nasty this year… there’ve been more injured players this year, and some from very harsh wounds. If we’re not cautious enough we might get some injured teammates from this match.”

Takao sighed and shared a nervous glance with Midorima. The coach gave out some instructions and advice for the next game before changing topics, which, in Takao’s opinion, was perhaps a thousand times worse than facing Hanamiya a hundred times.  


“Oh and… there’s something else I wanted to talk about, also very worrying for the team.” The coach stuttered a bit before changing the topic. It surprised Midorima, since he could not imagine what could be worse than facing Hanamiya at the knockouts. What could be worse than facing the possibility of having all of their teammates injured and unable to play against their next opponents? “You see, I… I’ll have to take a break for being the team’s coach for a while.”

There was a large commotion and a general complaint heard across the court. Midorima turned around to face Takao, who avoided his stare immediately. Being without a coach meant they could not participate on the next tournament, which also meant next week’s match could very much be their last high school game. Midorima swallowed hard and ordered his underclassmen to keep silent when Takao did not find the words.Not having a coach also meant trouble for the club’s status,  because the school’s committee would most likely suspend their activities if they did not have a replacement for basketball. At this rate, they’d not be able to even train and use the gym.

“It’ll only be for half of the next semester, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to coach you for the Winter Cup this year. I wanted to personally apologize to you two, since I compromised to train you until you graduated. I’m very sorry.” Nakatani-sensei apologized and bowed his head towards Midorima and Takao. Most of the boys’ stares were angry, but none of them dared to ask why the coach was leaving for so long. It must have been a very good reason, perhaps a personal one, for Marbo to leave Shutoku for four months. Tae, slightly more daring than the others, spoke up and asked what was happening.

“Teacher, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong… it’s just that my wife and I are having a baby girl.” The team’s reaction was one of relief and sudden joy, but there was still a great tension around them. “She’s seven months pregnant now and our child will be born a couple of weeks after the Inter High is done. Since she’s our firstborn, we need more time to take care of things at home. I’m afraid coaching the team often consumes most of my free time, besides the regular classes.”

“Oh, congratulations, Nakatani-sensei!” Tae said and squeezed him briefly, startling the professor. The rest of the team patted him on the back, wishing good luck to him and his wife. They all knew the coach had married a couple of years ago, but none had any idea they were expecting a baby. Even with all the fuss and enjoyment, Takao remained silent and sulked behind him, with his fist firmly clutched against the notebook. Midorima walked besides him and elbowed him softly on the ribs, as if trying to cheer him up and failing miserably. Takao elbowed him back, hitting a very painful spot that still hurt for their adventurous escapade a few days ago.

“You started it, Shin-chan. I’m not in the mood.”

“Why are you so angry, Kazu?” Midorima pulled him away from the crowd after asking Tae-chan to take care of bringing them back into training as soon as possible. “This is nothing like you.”

“Check these numbers, please.” He handed him the notebook on the accountings page. Midorima noticed that, according to Takao calculations, their club was reaching red numbers on their fundings. “That’s the resources we have left, not taking into account having to find a new coach for the Winter Cup, and we do not know how much is he going to cost. This is also removing the summer training camp from the list. Unless we make a miracle happen, we’re _not_ participating on the next tournament.”

“We have the cultural festival in November, we always raise enough funds.”

“There’s not enough time, we need at least three months of prior funding for all of this. Remember the comite gathers all the money from the festival and distributes it within all clubs, that’s precisely why we don’t have much money this year. And imagine this for a bit… if we happen to win the Interhigh, how the hell are we going to participate in the nationals in autumn? We’re screwed, Shin-chan.”

“Calm down, we’ll find a way, like we always do.” Midorima sighed, returning the notebook to him He hated being the optimistic one between the two of them, that was the shorter boy’s job. “At least try to show some excitement for Nakatani-senpai, you dumbass. He’s having a baby, for heaven’s sake, it’s not the end of the world. Besides, you’re really good with kids, I’m sure Nakatani-sensei would feel offended if you don’t welcome his daughter even from now on.” Midorima frowned and punched the back of the head playfully. Takao chuckled and elbowed him again on the ribs, this time in a less sensitive spot.

“Don’t order me around, Shin-chan.” Takao smiled and got closer to him. -You’re also excited for him to bring his daughter at some point, I know it, I know you so well. You have a soft spot for little girls.

“You make me sound like a sick pervert…” Midorima stared at him with a frown, but Takao laughed out loud and shook his head.

“¡Of course not! I’m just saying you’re good with kids as well. I’ve seen you take care of Megumin so many times… I’m sure you’d be a good father too.”

“...”

“...”

_Fuck off, Kazunari, shut your trap._

“Hey,  changing the topic…” Midorima said nonchalantly, deciding to ignore that previous statement. “What if you ask Nakajima-san for help? He might be able to coach us.”

“No, he’s got his hands full with the fitness center. I’ll talk to him this weekend, but I’m sure he’ll be busy anyway.”

“Well then…  what about you?”

“Me?!” Takao laughed and shook his hands nervously. “Hahaha, nah, there’s no way I can…”

“Why not? Aida-san did so for three years. If Hanamiya managed, why can’t you? You’d not ask for more than what Nakatani-san gets, and if you want, we can use that money to help the team.

“That’s actually a very good idea.” Nakatani-sensei walked in and interrupted their conversation. He called them back to the group and the two boys followed suite. “You’ve been doing most of the job when I’m on the leave, almost as if you were an assistant coach during the whole season. The committee may even give you some extra money since you’re a student and not a professor. It’ll not work against for your savings for college, wouldn't it?"

“Well, it does sounds nice, b-but…”

“Maybe we can have a talk with Nakajima-san about the summer training camp and you can work as the assistant coach as practice next month.” Midorima insisted. He knew the fitness center got a bunch of high-school and college instructors during the summer break. Perhaps Nakajima would be able to take a break to help them, if they managed to gather the money to go to the beach camp this year.

“Ok, ok, I’ll talk to him. Geez, you’re awfully enthusiastic for this, Shin-chan.” Takao glared at him and sighed. He didn’t know how, but whenever Midorima got a ridiculous idea on his mind, he’d not stop until it was done. If he had something on how to make easy money for the club,  he’d actually succeed and he’d bring the club back to it’s former glory by the time they were back from the summer camp. For all that Midorima was quirky, cold, and even cruel at times, he was also very passionate about the things he loved. And Takao had noticed that, since the beginning of their third year and being placed as vice-captain, he’d become really, really passionate about their team. It was something Takao admired of him ever since they started to play together, his ability to compromise with the things he loved. If anything represented a menace to the team, Midorima would tear the skies apart to stop it from happening.

After they were done with the talk, they resumed the training and Takao returned to the office with the coach and the manager to talk about numbers. Midorima was left in charge of the team and ordered them to divide themselves in teams to play against one another while he practiced on his own for a while. He needed a minute to concentrate, to think about possibilities on how to save the team if things came to the worst case scenario. He sighed and after another half hour of shooting on his own and watching his underclassmen playing a 5 vs 5, Takao came back from the upper floor and they began picking up before leaving.

“I’ve been watching you… You’d also be a really good coach, you know?” He said, startling Midorima who hadn’t seen him staring the whole time. He blushed slightly, but nodded. “You’re strict, but you’re a good teacher.”

“So I’ve been told, but you’d do a much better job. At times, charisma and creativity are better traits than discipline and strictness.” Midorima picked up the last ball he’d shot and placed it on the rack with the others, then Takao helped him store them in the locker. The underclassmen took the score board inside and they headed for the changing rooms.

“Gah! I didn’t even get to touch the ball today, I still have so much energy!” The shorter teen complained, most of his efforts had been wasted in getting angry and thinking in numbers for two hours straight. “You’re not staying until late today?”

“I can’t, I have to go home early. I have a pending business to attend.”

“Huh, that’s weird. Did something happen?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve been thinking this past 30 minutes ways to get money, and I have something on my mind. I need to make some calls for that to happen. I … I need you to come with me anyways. Didn’t you said you needed help with your biology homework?”

Takao nodded estranged. He didn’t know why Shin-chan was asking for him to come home in such a strange manner.

“If we’re done with homework early and my plan actually works I... I’ll let you do... that thing we talked about the other day.”

“EH?! You’re not talking about…!? No!” Takao’s eyes were open as wide as he possibly could.

“Y-yeah… It has something to do with my plan.”

“What are you thinking, Shin-chan?!”

“You’ll see.”

“You’re not being serious! You’ll let me… do that? I’ve always wanted to do that...”

“You know I’m always serious.”

“For real?! You’ll really let me… photos included?!”

“Don’t get so far just yet.”

* * *

 

Shintaro breathed in deeply as they were both sitting on the floor, using the low tea table to study. Takao faked to be reading about cellular division and reproduction, while Midorima finished up his chemical compounds assignment. He stared impatiently at his cellphone on the table. 

“Want me to do it?” Takao asked, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

“I can do it, it’s just… I don’t want to.”

“I can imagine, Shin-chan. We can always become strippers, it’s also some easy money.”

“I’d rather make the call. If I’m going to lose my dignity, at least I’ll do it with my clothes on.”

“Well, the phone is yours.”

Midorima sighed again and took the phone.

“Hello, Kise…” Takao did not believe his ears when Midorima talked about his plans as they reached home. A part of him wanted to laugh hysterically, the other part wanted to cry. Now that it was happening, the shorter boy had to actually exit the room so that he could burst into laughter and so that they could talk. He could not be seriously thinking this would work, could he?! Takao stuck to the wall so that he could listen to the conversation, hoping he could get back in a minute to find out about everything.

“I need to ask you for a favor… yes, I do remember I promised about karaoke for your birthday… no, I’m not laughing, Takao’s in the hall... Yes, he’s coming to karaoke too. Kise… Ki… Kise… KISE! Can you concentrate for a second, please?”

His voice was so desperate, even if he had been on the phone for just two minutes. Takao walked back with a silly grin on his lips and closed his textbook so that he could watch the scene closely.

“Do you want me to talk to him?” He asked out of mere courtesy with a hushed voice, but Shin-chan signaled him to keep quiet with a finger to his lips.

“Yes, I swear Takao and I are going… Yes, we need a favor. Our team is in serious trouble, I’ll tell you more details later. We need some money and… do you remember you, uh… you offered to contact me with your agent once, before leaving Teiko?”

“ _OH MY GOD, MIDORIMACCHI!!_ ” Kise’s screams could be heard from the other side of the speaker when he caught notice of what was Midorima’s request. Midorima put the phone away from his face, because Kise might as well leave him deaf at this rate.“ _You’re not asking what I think you’re asking!!_ ”

“I already told you, we need some easy money.” Midorima closed his eyes in desperation and Takao had to hold his laughter again. “It’s… it’s for my team. If we don’t get money, we might not make it for the Winter Cup.”

“ _Then, by all means! How’s about I give you my agent’s number now but I give you her card when we see each other next time? I’ll not be able to attend your next match because of school, but I can give it to you at the karaoke_ ”

“Perfect. Then… we’ll be there. And Kise… please don’t tell the others, specially Akashi.” They exchanged a few more words that seemed to make Shintaro uncomfortable, but Takao didn’t want to snoop any more and walked down to the kitchen to get more food. He walked in when they had already hanged up. Midorima rested his elbows against the table, holding his head between his hands.

“Tell me, Kazu… why do I keep asking the annoying ones for help?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Shin-chan. Really I can’t believe you asked Kise for help, but I’m glad you did. I thought you were going to offer we took part-time jobs.

Takao sat besides him and patted him in the back. Midorima grunted and threw his cellphone on the bed, resting his face against the table now. Takao caressed his back trying to soothe him, but Midorima seemed like he’d rather die at that instant.

“Kise once told me about his paychecks, they left some really easy money for jsut a couple of sessions after he turned 15. With two or three of those… now that I’m… of age... I might be able to raise enough money to take us to the Winter Cup. We can use the remaining funds to take the team to the summer camp. The problem is I have to get through the interview with his agent, that’s why I need your help.”

Takao smiled widely and he almost felt tempted to hug him really tight, but he refrained and just squeezed his arm in compassion. He knew Midorima was giving his best for the team and it made Takao incredibly proud to see how much he’d changed in just a couple of years. If Shin-chan from their first year together would have known he would be getting a modeling job just to save their team, putting his personal pride and selfishness aside, he’d probably hit Takao on the head. Nevertheless, this time Takao hadn’t suggested anything to him, it had been solely Midorima’s idea. Takao felt like the proudest man on Earth, because he had managed to push his beloved friend into changing so much through the years. He was so proud Shin-chan was able to fight for those things he loved the most.

“Then, you need fashion advice? I see that’s why you insisted you’d let me do it. I’ve always wanted to dress you up.”

_...And to undress you too, if we’re being honest…_

Takao laughed and stood up from his seat, opening his friend’s closet in one swift motion. 

“I’ll have to take you shopping and we’ll get you a new haircut You’re really going to let me do it?”

“Yes, if it’s for the team, I’d do it. For now let me just make up my mind about it and you think of something I can wear for the meeting with Kise’s manager.  Also… I want you to be there, with me.”

“What…?” Takao turned around and stared at him in disbelief.  “ Why?”

 “I thought you have noticed already.” Midorima shrugged and walked up to Takao’s place close to his closet door. Takao handed him two pieces of clothing that he’d never thought about wearing together, but he had to admit they didn’t look bad. He had to trust his friend’s better judgement. “You make me feel confident.”

Takao almost felt as if his soul had left his body and his heart had decided to take a trip along with it. His cheeks blushed violently and he was sure he made the most embarrassing expression that had ever appeared on his face, something between a smile and a cry of pain. It was impossible not to hug him this time, Takao even thought about stealing a kiss from him, but he’d promised he’d wait, he’d not lose his confidence for such a stupid thing. He just embraced Midorima by the waist and stood there for a few seconds.

 “Shin-chan… at times, you’re way too cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we'll see the karaoke and the modeling chapters soon. I hope I can keep updating like this! *cries*
> 
> Tune in next week: Hanamiya is a dick, Midorin gets overprotective, and Kazu is allowed one selfish act a day.


	13. Wait for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promts: Versus Kirisaki Daiichi || Takao being selfish pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm human scum and I can't seem to finish my updates on time, I'm so sorry this took another month and also...  
> HAPPY NEW YEAR!
> 
> I went out on vacations and left this chapter pending, then I continued the other fic I posted on Christmas and completely procrastinated this one, I'm so sorry. Also, watching One Piece has consumed like 70% of my free time and I do not regret one bit of it. (Expect fics from a certain hawkeyed warlord and his pink haired guest sometime in the near future, because I don't know how to keep calm).

Takao wasn’t able to sleep for two nights straight. The match happening tomorrow evening was keeping him up and he wondered how the hell would they be able to turn out victorious after engaging battle against Hanamiya’s team. He sighed and took one of Suzume’s magazines to distract himself, since tiredness was taking hold of him, but sleep eluded him. He needed to check on more fashion trends for the day he’d finally be able to let his hands on Midorima’s closet and help him with the other upcoming issue they had for them. But no matter how many pages he ran his fingers through and how many idol photos he studied until 2 am, Takao’s head wouldn’t stop spinning around. His palms were sweaty and his  heart was beating violently, making a nasty knot on his stomach.

He knew just how awful things could get, mostly from the videos Tae-chan had recollected during the Inter-High season. Kirisaki Daiichi had their usual tactics polished and upgraded, and Takao was afraid their numbers would be diminished if they fell into their trap. He felt a vein pulsing on his temple as the clock was about to hit 3 am.  Foreseeing a headache coming, he barely  noticed his cell phone was ringing, laying forgotten at the side table. He ran to catch it, but he noticed he had a missing call and single message from Shintaro, sent just a few minutes ago.

_ [Are you asleep?]  _ Strange, no matter how simple the message was. Midorima rarely ever started conversations over the phone and Takao knew he had a very strict sleeping schedule he almost never faltered. He must be as nervous as he was, given the circumstances.

_ [No. Can’t sleep. W/ bout you?] _

_ [Can we talk?] _

Takao sighed and dialed his friend’s number, perhaps one of the few he’d memorized besides his own, his mother’s and both of their houses’. Shin-chan’s tired voice answered from the other side of the line, but they barely said any words for a while. Silence, however, wasn’t uncomfortable. Takao knew that from time to time, Midorima really appreciated those minutes of silent company, but they’ve never shared one over the phone. 

“About tomorrow…” Midorima broke the silence, once again quite unusual of him to do so. “Do you have any plan?”

“I do, but I’d rather not use that yet. NO matter how you look at it, Kirisaki Daiichi is not superior to us on skill, but their tactics might ruin everything for us. Remember we pride ourselves in our offensive strength and our textbook-perfect technique, but... what’s good about it if we’re completely shattered by those goons?”

“I know.” Midorima sighed and Takao could imagine how he rolled his eyes and closed them in desperation. Takao knew Shin-chan was resting over his bed without his glasses on, maybe with the pajama shirt unbuttoned and his hair sprawled over the pillow. He had to hold a deep breath trying to escape from his lungs as he imagined the scene. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we fight it head on.”

“Shin-chan, I… I have been thinking, I think I need to give you some instructions for tomorrow and I don’t want you to go against them tomorrow. It’s just… I don’t want to say it in front of the others, they’ll hate me if I do.”

“Then say it. You’re my captain, I’ll follow whatever decision you say if I deem them necessary.”

“Well…” Takao kept silent for a minute, trying to think how to say this to him, “Don’t use _ it. _ We both know you’re perfectly capable of doing it now and I have a vague idea of your triggering conditions. They’ll most likely be met during tomorrow’s match, but please, keep  _ it _ a secret for another time.”

“I’m aware of your concerns and I agree, but... you know it’ll most likely cost us the match if I don’t do it?”

“Yes. I know it’s a selfish request, Shin-chan but… I have something to show you as well and I don’t want to give it to Hanamiya. I still don’t have it 100% completed and I don’t want to spoil it. Save it… save it for the next time we’re on a pinch.”

“Don’t talk as if you’re dying, you idiot.”

“It’s not that! Just promise me you won’t do it. Promise you’ll wait for me.” He heard Midorima chuckling on the other side of the line and then he agreed half heartedly. Takao smiled, but the gesture vanished as soon as he hung up with his beloved friend and let himself fall against the bed. Takao closed his eyes, readying himself for the worst.

* * *

Blood. There was blood covering his eyes and Takao started to panic. He let out a loud groan of pain that made all of the spectators and players stop dead on their tracks, frozen by the horrid noise. The referee had not been looking, being too focused on following the ball, but was the third time he’d been hit, and just as Takao had predicted from the very beginning of their match, he’d be the main target of Hanamiya’s attacks. 

Their new center, a tall and violent teen had taken the first chance when the referee had been so awed looking at Midorima’s perfect shooting, after one of Takao’s synchronized passes. The taller teen had struck him on the side of the face, in no other place than the corner of the eye, taking advantage of his size, strength and the speed of his run. 

During the first half, the third-year captain had made him fall off balance and hit him with the ebow on the forehead. If Takao hadn’t dodged, just to fall a little bit more gracefully, the blow would have landed on his eyes again. 

Later on, another player had rushed in his direction to steal the ball from him, and as Takao tried to stop him, the ashen haired teen avoided him as he dribbled and kicked him on the shin. Takao had stopped from the pain, and the boy made his way with the ball, landing a point on the net just some seconds afterwards. 

He and Midorima had been the main target of their attacks, but their underclassmen were just as badly injured as they were. However, Tae-chan’s investigations had been proven correctly: they targeted the MVP and stalled the other four players from helping him. While Shin-chanwould have been the first and most obvious option, they’d figured out most of his plays depended on Takao’s constant control over the ball. If Takao was out of the game because of his injuries, it’d be unlikely that Midorima would be able to coordinate himself with anyone else but him. In fact, they were most likely correct. 

Takao held his injured face with pain as he heard the numb steps of his teammates rushing to aid him after the blow of a whistle called for a break and the pain became stronger on his sides. Midorima’s desperate hands clung to his shirt, but Takao shoved him and ordered everyone to keep calm immediately. Tae brought him a wet towel to wipe off the blood, and Takao noticed his hearing started to come back steadily. As he eyed to the other side of the court, he could see Hanamiya smiling devilishly as he scolded the first years insisting he wanted no more mistakes. The referee didn’t need to notice their faults anymore.

_ Just as dirty as ever. _

“I’m fine, please listen… ugh.”

“You’re clearly not ok. I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

“No, I can still play and don’t even think about leaving now! Remember, you have to carry on if I’m not here to lead, dumbass.” Takao scolded him, pulling from the collar of his shirt. “We’re still missing the last quarter of the game and they’ll most likely take me out by then. I need you two to keep them at bay so that Arashi, Shin-chan and I can keep scoring , but be careful. They’ve become faster, so I’m sure they’ll manage to…”

“Don’t let them, then!” Midorima hissed and took the towel from his hands to help him. He rushed to fix the injury with a pad, not caring about Takao’s complaints when he pressed the alcohol-drenched cotton swab on his forehead.

“It’s easier said than done, Shin-chan! Please, remember you promised you would keep yourself calm, ok?” Takao tried to comfort him, but truth was the injury was as bad as it looked. He could barely hold his head high from the pain and his sight was blurring, both from tiredness and from the constant attacks of their opponents. His left eye was almost completely blinded, but Takao’s own extraordinary abilities allowed him to keep the court under check with just one eye. However, if he received one more blow, he knew he’d be done for. Even if they won without any further incident, he’d have to take some time to recover and he’d not be able to participate on the finals.

“I will, don’t worry. But if they take you out of the match, then I…”

“Not even then.”

“... fine” Midorima sighed and helped him up. 

“Cheer up, guys! We’re almost twenty points ahead. If we trust each other and let our long shots make the breach longer, they’ll eventually fall behind and we’ll win. Let’s hold on for a little longer.” Takao tried to motivate them, before the referee called them back in. Takao could hear Hanamiya laughing from the other side of the court, unknown to him if he was making fun of the team or he was just being as unpleasant as always. It was certainly easier to have him locked up on his bench rather than running around on the game, but he was just as unpleasant as Takao and Midorima remembered him from two years before.

“Kazu....” Midorima held his wrist and stopped him before he returned to his position. “Scorpio had very bad luck for today... even so, don’t get hurt anymore... please.”

“I’ll try, Shin-chan. Thanks for worrying about me.” Takao showed him a blue bangle on his wrist. “I brought my lucky item, just in case. I trust you can fix my day if Oha-Asa’s predictions were true. Didn’t she say Cancer would go through some very difficult  hardships, but they’d definitely come triumphantly out of any challenges they set themselves today?” Midorima smiled and ruffled his hair after bumping fist,s as the referee called both teams for the last five minutes of the third quarter.

* * *

Takao’s premonitions were correct. The first year was still under Hanamiya’s foul training, so he’d be easier to get caught if he attempted to injure him again. Takao took his chances to stick as close to the referee as he could and allowed the taller boy to hit him once again. This gave his opponent a sanction and gave Shuutoku a free shot, even if  Takao knew his eyes were completely numb by then. He knew he could do it even with his eyes closed, and if the ball had a rebound, he trusted Arashi-kun or Inazuma-kun would get it.

_ Straighten your back, set your objective in mind, flex your knees and relax your shoulders. Turn your wrists upright and let the ball go with a soft but firm push from your fingertips. You can do it without even looking at the net if your body is used to it.   _

Midorima’s words echoed in his head. Even if the ‘without even looking’ part meant something else, Takao trusted himself. It wasn’t that he’d closed his eyes to take the shot, it was that he was completely blinded by then. Miraculously, it landed, as could be told by the roaring voices of the crowd and his team. The referee called for the end of the third quarter and the teams walked back to their benches.

“Shin-chan…” Takao stumbled, grabbing the first person that crossed his way by the forearm. He hoped it had been his friend or at least one of his teammates.

“Takao, are you alright?!” His friend’s voice called from above his head. He had clung onto the correct person. 

“Help me back, please… I can’t see a thing.” Without even asking, Midorima tossed Takao’s arm around his shoulders. Making sure he was able to walk, he carried him to the bench where the others were. Their teammates stared with worry, mostly because of their captain’s disheveled state and pained expression.

“I’m going to kill them…” Takao could barely see Midorima’s blurry features really close to his face, but he could feel both of his hands holding his neck with concern, pressing strongly against his skin. He must have really looked like a corpse for him to be so anguished. “I’ll take you to the infirmary, now. No arguing.”

“Don’t. That last shot got us 23 points ahead, please… please, just finish the match and don’t worry about me.”

“You’re more important than the stupid game, damn it!”

“W-what happened?” the manager asked, getting closer and setting herself besides Midorima. 

“My vision is completely blurred, I can’t see a thing. I won’t be able to play anymore for today... ” Takao admitted and felt another pair of hands setting on his back. As soon as that person spoke, he knew it was the coach.

“Tae-san, help me getting him to the doctor, please. Midorima, you’re in charge now. Reorganize the team. Ryo will cover Takao’s position for now.” Nakatani ordered and shoved the green haired teen away from the Hawkeye, picking him up along with Tae by the shoulders.

“Wait, wait a sec,  Shin-chan! Once the match is done, come to the infirmary immediately. And… perhaps I’m overthinking things, but bring someone along. Don’t move around the stadium on your own, please.”

“You’ve got a bad feeling?”

Takao nodded and without saying anything else, Midorima turned around and barked orders at the team so they would continue with the game.

* * *

Takao rested with his eyes closed, head against the pillow. The doctor had already covered the left eye with a very thick bandage and his vision slowly returned as the last ten minutes of the match went through, but he felt anxious whenever he heard the crowd cheering, making a deaf noise on the infirmary’s walls. Tae-chan had stayed with him and the coach went back once the last quarter began, but she had no way of telling if Shuutoku was scoring or if it had been Kirisaki Daiichi. When the ten minutes ended, Takao managed to hear the muffled sounds of his team’s cheering. He assumed they’d won, but he wondered and started to fear just how badly injured his teammates were.

“Did we win?” He asked, turning his face towards Tae-chan. Her blurry figure shrugged and they waited patiently. She stood up and opened the door, expecting to find the answer just outside the hall, but there was nobody there yet. However, he managed to hear someone walking towards their location, and Shin-chan stormed inside the room just some seconds later. He thanked Tae for taking care of him and the manager went outside. Inazuma walked her back to the locker room, leaving their seniors alone for them to talk.

“How are you feeling?” Midorima sat besides him and moved his hair upwards to see how the injury looked. Takao complained, but smiled happily.

“Could be worse. How was it?”

“We managed…  we won 82-103.” He groaned tiredly and rested besides his friend. He had ran out of breath as he’d clearly been running for 40 entire minutes and then he ran out of the court to meet him.

“They went against you, right?” From his side, Takao could see a large blur of red on Shin-chan’s lips, perhaps they’d hit him on the face while he was aiming one of his miracle shots.

“More or less. I had to switch to defense and let Arashiita take control. As injured and tired as we were, and without you on the court, the others would not have managed to get the ball to me.” 

“Then they tried to pass you and beat you until they got through, I guess.” Takao turned around and cleansed the blood with his fingers, which made Midorima flinch in pain. Takao was furious, but he was glad they’d not hurt Shin-chan as much as they’d butchered him. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. I had to keep calm quite more than I expected even if the circumstances said not to do so, or I’d have done it. Just as you said yesterday, they hit all my triggers.”

“Thanks for waiting for me, Shin-chan.”

“You owe me. When it’s time, you better keep up with me.”

“Heh, once I’m in top form again, you’ll be the one who’s gonna have to keep up!” Takao defied him and punched his shoulder playfully. Midorima complained, but smiled and patted Takao on the back as he rose from the bed. 

“What do you mean by that? Can you do it too?”

“I’m not entirely sure yet. I’ve gotten that sensation way too many times when we’re at it, I think I might be able to pull it off with a bit more practice.” Takao said and took his jacket from the chair. Midorima told him he’d asked his parents to pick them up once the match was over, he’d called them on the phone when he knew Takao wouldn’t be able to pedal back home. Promising him a hot and tasty dinner, Takao rushed to get out of the infirmary as soon as the doctor said he was good to go. Even so, he was unable to shake that awful sensation from his head, twirling around on his chest like a shadow.

* * *

 

They made their way to the lobby, after all of their friends had left before them and they waited for Midorima’s father to get them. Takao took his arm and made him turn around, facing him. Shintaro stared, preoccupied, as he did not like to see his partner covered in bandages and injuries. He sighed and looked at him attentively, because Takao seemed to be doubting as he fidgeted around.

“I have to ask you another favor. It’s some sort of a challenge, but...” Midorima stared at him with expectancy, but the younger boy said nothing. Both of them were tired and hurt, and Takao knew it was probably not the best time to do such a proposal. He thought it would be better to wait, but they had little to no time to fix this mess. “I don’t know how to say it. I think it’s not the time and I’m sure you’ll hate me for it.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t care?” Midorima asked, slightly annoyed. He held him by the waist so that he’d walk firmly. Takao could notice Shin-chan was limping from his right leg, but otherwise, he moved as swiftly as he ever did. “You’re the captain, and you’re my partner. Whatever decision you deem correct, I’ll follow it.”

“Well, then… I hope you don’t hate me too much for this.” Takao turned his head around, hoping there was nobody listening to them. “Given the facts, our chances are pretty thin, though not impossible, right? Shin-chan, I… I want to carry our last trophy together, so… wait for another time to get your miracles done, ok?”

“What do you mean?”

“Shin-chan… it’s impossible for me to get back for the knockouts. I want to ask you to give up on the Inter-High.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shin-chan concedes Takao his selfish act of the day. Aomine seems disappointed.


	14. Selfish Act of the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Takao being selfish pt. II || Good news through bad times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter posted on time? There most be something wrong going on! Hah, no, it's just this one is very short and it's a good introduction to the second half of the fic. Enjoy, thanks for reading!

Give up on the Inter-High on purpose? Did Hanamiya’s goons had hit him so hard on the head he’d lost his mind?! Midorima still couldn’t believe Takao had dared to even utter those words. He really tried to believe he’d spoken out of sheer anger when they met at the infirmary, but now, when he insisted on it three days later, Midorima started to believe the captain was talking seriously. 

Midorima’s typical frown deepened, insisting Takao was being an idiot. He refused the challenge and didn’t allow his friend to speak another word about the matter. According to the scores Tae-chan had brought them, Touou would be their next opponent. If Midorima didn’t play the best he could, they’d not stand a chance against Aomine and Momoi’s strategies. Perhaps Takao had already perceived it’d be that way, but he knew none of them were so pessimist as to give up before even trying.

The fated day of their match arrived and Takao had to stay benched the whole time, as expected. Just before the game started, Midorima was still angry at him and refused to talk to him or let him speak, but Takao had a melancholic and all-knowing smile on his lips that made the taller teen roll his eyes and, pestered, he willed to listen. He sat besides him, allowing him a minute to explain.

“The moment you say ‘we don’t stand a chance’, I’m going out there and I’m using  _ it _ . Without you.”

“Do you think I distrust our team that much? Idiot. The odds may be against us, but... hell, you’re a freaking miracle. Aomine may be the most suited to stop you, but I know you can actually beat him.” Takao observed as Shin-chan’s eyes grew wider and a smug smile formed on his lips. He’d always been quite egocentric and he liked hearing when Takao praised him. “No, I…have many other reasons, but I’m not sure you’ll like some of them.”

“I’m listening”

Takao bit his lip and lowered his eyes to avoid Midorima’s gaze. He couldn’t tell if he’d gone back to be angered at him or if he felt happy because of his partner’s kind words.

“I had originally planned to let this match be taken care by our underclassmen. It’s partially true, I want you to focus on defense so that they’d not rely so much on you or me, now that I can’t play.” The shorter boy sighed and pointed at his younger teammates, who were currently doing running tracks on their half of the court as warm up. Midorima would be joining them shortly and Takao would have to stay behind. He pointed at them one by one.

“Arashi has a lot of potential, he might even be able to hold on Aomine for a while, but he’s inexperienced. Inazuma has shown a lot of leadership qualities, so the coach and I have been thinking about making him captain once we graduate. If I wish to pass the baton to him, we need him to experience first-hand how different it is to lead rather than follow through with orders. Tatsumaki is really good and has been improving qite a lot as of lately. He’s a good strategist, I think he would be a good Point Guard if he decides to give it a try. And for the videos I saw from the last game, Ryou is actually a very decent player. He might make it into regulars next year. I just want to see how well our boys can do without us.”

“I’ll admit you’ve got a point. But... you said it’s only partially true?”

“Yeah…” Takao sighed and tried to turn his eyes back at his taller friend. “Can I borrow your selfish act of the day, Shin-chan?” He had a sad smile on his face and Midorima could already see what he was getting at.

“How odd… but sure, I guess.”

“…I don’t want you to win without me.” 

Midorima saw Takao’s lips as his smile vanished. They curved downwards slightly, as if he was pouting. For some reason, he found it kind of endearing. Takao was just as passionate about basket as he’d always been, but acting so selfish and arrogant was quite out of character coming from him.

“We’ve trained so hard and I’ve done my best to keep up with you... it’s not easy for me to admit you might win and I’d just be an useless player warming the bench, just because Hanamiya decided I shouldn’t play anymore. I felt so impotent when the doctor told me I’d not be able to even practice for three weeks, because our chances had been really good up until now. I… I hate watching the opportunities come and go and I hate that this might be the fifth time I cannot hold the golden trophy. So I…”

“Tch... you’re such a crybaby.” Midorima complained, interrupting his whining and hugging him slightly, placing his towel on Takao’s head to help him relax. He fixed his position on the bench and proceeded to unbind his fingers. “Just to make this clear from the beginning, I’m doing this for the team and I’m just following your orders because you’re the captain. I’m not doing this because of your whining. You’ve got a point, the underclassmen need to step up.” 

“Shin-chan…”

“Don’t get it wrong. You’ll have to pay me back for this.” Shintaro had actually blushed, but Takao understood he’d never admit he’d felt some sort of empathy, compassion or even pity for him. 

_ Such a tsundere… _ Takao thought and laughed under his breath, letting out a melancholic sigh.

“I’m such an idiot, Shin-chan… I’m sorry.” Takao apologized just before Midorima finished with his fingers and proceeded to join the rest of the team. Shin-chan. Still slightly flustered, ruffled Takao’s hair and squeezed his hand for a second. Maybe it was odd, but that had been one of the first times that Midorima showed some kind of public display of affection. He felt his heart beat like crazy as he watched Arashi and Aomine fight for the ball at the tip-off.

* * *

 

The coach would have to admit he was actually impressed by the boy’s prowess through the game, even if the final marker read an utter defeat for their team: 56-80; Touou took the lead and smashed their hopes for entering the finals. Either way, Takao insisted Inazuma should lead the team instead of confiding that role to Midorima, as per usual. The second-year student had managed to keep their spirits up even if the match was done for before the third quarter had ended. Arashi showed just how much he’d improved though his training, keeping Aomine on the edge of his seat and keeping him on edge the entire game.

Lacking a Point Guard, Midorima had suggested Tatsumaki to take Takao’s role, helping him get his hands on the ball at many times during the game. This way, the boy shone the entire game as a multi-capable player. Ryou, the first-year covering Takao’s place, managed to show the rest of the team he had enough stamina and spirit to play an entire game without being benched, which was a truthfully impressive feat on itself of a normal player. Nakatani smiled to himself, noticing Shuutoku still had too many chances even if their two aces graduated in just a couple of months. 

Tae seemed to be in a good mood, even if her team looked like they were assisting a funeral. Takao couldn’t bring them to cheer up and Midorima remained silent as they walked into the changing rooms with their heads down. He seemed disappointed, but the coach expected him to be throwing a temper tantrum, not keeping his calm quite like this. 

Touou would be facing Rakuzan later that evening and the winner would go against either Kaijou or Yosen tomorrow’s afternoon. Shutoku’s coach didn’t know if it’d be a good idea to let his players watch the upcoming matches, because the younger boys looked depressed and the elders’ eyes looked so tired and void of motivation he didn’t know which was the best option to take. 

“Listen, guys…” The coach said as they readied themselves to go back home. “I’ll be taking you all for dinner tonight to celebrate your efforts. It’s also a farewell gift to these two from my part. Once again, I’m sorry I’ll not be able to coach you for the next season.” Nakatani apologized, reuniting the whole team on the bus benches at the station. “Remember to keep on training and moving forward, things will be sorted out and the team will surely take gold next time.”

“But what about the money, coach?” Araashita asked, with clear anguish on his voice. Nakatani sighed, unsure about what to say. Midorima coughed as if he had choked on his own saliva and Takao laughed out loud.

“Don’t worry about it, guys. Your senpai got you all covered. We’ll take care of it in the blink of an eye.” Takao said and winked at them, even if he could feel Midorima trying to hide himself behind him. Apparently, only Takao and Kise knew about the deal with the devil he’d just made to save his team.  Not even their manager, coach or the other members of the first string knew anything about Midorima’s ridiculous plan. 

Takao clapped his hands to drag the attention to himself and stood in one of the benches,. “We won’t force you to watch the finals, but I highly recommend you do it. If you wanna head back home for the weekend, go ahead. Midorima, Tae-chan and I will keep a watch on the last events and we’ll bring you feedback during our summer camp.”

A roar of emotion filled the stations, startling some passersby that were aiting for their ride.  Everyone stared at their captain with amazement and widely opened eyes, even their coach who was not going to be present on said training camp.

“We’ll be going this year too, senpai?” Tatsumaki asked with an excited voice.

“Yeah, we’ll only stay for three weeks instead of an entire month, though. We’ll have to stay at the cheapest and shared rooms at the inn, and we’ll also have to cook our own meals as always.” Takao explained and smiled brightly. “I’ll be coaching you with a little help of a friend, I’ll introduce you to him when we get there. For now, let’s get some food and wish Coach Nakatani a nice break!”

It had almost seemed like their defeat had never happened and all of the boys were charmed by Takao’s optimism. The coach took them all for sushi and it had almost seemed as if they had won the golden trophy already. If he was certain of something, it was that there had never been another captain of his team that proved to be such a good influence on his comrades. Yuuya Miyaji and Ootsubo had made the best decision when they had recommended the blockhead after he retired last year.

* * *

“Hey, Shin-chan… would you help me plan a new training schedule for the team, now that Marbo is leaving?” Takao asked as Midorima pedaled back to his home, where he’d crash for the night to be on time at the stadium. For a long time they’d not traveled on the rickshaw, but since Takao’s vision was still injured, Midorima offered to carry him around for the weekend.  “We have to consider mid term exams and breaks, then plan ahead for friendly matches and once the Winter Cup begins… ah and also…!”

“Can you please shut up for a second and stop worrying?” Midorima said, pestered. They stopped at a red light and he took the chance to tear his lucky item  away from Takao’s hands and placed it on the basket Takao had attached to  his bike. The little yellow plushie had been bouncing on his friend’s hands like crazy and Midorima was afraid he might drop it on the street. “We’ve just gotten out of the Inter-High, we’re still some months away to be worrying about it. Relax, for heaven’s sake.”

“Wow.” Takao said simply and shivered from the cold. “I never thought you’d be telling me to relax.”

“You’re injured and I’m tired and stressed. We both need to rest.” Midorima said as he resumed pedaling and turned around in the corner. Just two more blocks. His legs felt like they were about to catch on fire if he kept on moving, but he had no option but to do so, as he could not change places with Takao this time.

“Will you help me or not, though?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll help you now please, shut it until we reach my house.”

“You’re angry at me, aren’t you?” Takao asked, but his taller friend refused to answer until he jumped out of the rickshaw right in front of his house’s entrance. Midorima opened the gate for him and let him inside, following through right afterwards. Midorima ruffled his hair again, letting Takao know he wasn’t as angry as he seemed. 

“Next time make sure you’re there besides me when we’re holding the golden cup, Kazu.” Midorima stopped, still holding Takao’s neck and smiled real sweetly at him. He let go and walked towards the main entrance, giving his back to him. The raven-haired boy smiled to himself and followed Shin-chan inside his house. Nobody could tell him otherwise... he loved Midorima and his quirks and his shy and indirect displays of affections. He loved his caring, his loving, their friendship, everything, absolutely everything about him. And by now, maybe for the first time, Takao felt as if Shin-chan started to love him back. It was just a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Karaoke. Lantana by OLDCODEX is a reference you must to know.


	15. Can you hear the whisper back?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Karaoke || Honest talks || Overprotective Midorima

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead I swear! I just got a promotion at work, which means more money to buy shit, but less time to do and write shit, which is a shame since I have a lot of stuff in mind and a lot of docs to finish, and quite some energy to do so. Please bear with me, I swear I'll eventually wrap this one up. As I have already said before, the fic's already finished, but I'm translating and proofing it slowly.
> 
> I recommend you have some of OLDCODEX songs in hand while reading this. Lantana, Loose my Breath, How Affection, Know Orange, etc, are some good examples. For some chapters I'll be recommending songs, so watch out for them, or ask me for the links to the songs!
> 
> Thanks for keeping up, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> (Chapter's not been thoroughly proofed, I will do so during this weekend. Please tell me if you find mistakes or parts that are uncomprehensible, please understand it's 2 am in the morning).

Midorima sighed as Takao jumped out of the train and pulled his arm across the street before the streetlight changed colors. The karaoke which Kise had invited them to celebrate was just a few blocks away from the station, and the green-haired teen still planned on escape options before it was too late. That day would probably be the last one he could be at peace and quiet, for he’d be visiting Kise’s photo studio  in just a couple of days. It’d just take two photo sessions, Kise’s sister and agent had said over the phone when they spoke after the finals. Those sole two sessions would raise enough money for the summer camp and to cover a few debts they had. If another job popped up, the manager would make sure to call him if things with the team were still on a tight spot.

When they arrived at the karaoke bar, some of Kise’s friends from Kaijou, Kuroko and Momoi were already there, but the man in question was missing. According to Moriyama, Kise was asking for drinks and snacks along with Kasamatsu at the bar outside their room. Just as they settled down besides Kuroko and the pink-haired girl, Kise banged the door open with his former captain trailing right behind him with a tired face. The blond boy had a stupid grin on his face  which spread even further when he noticed Midorima and Takao had already arrived and were sitting right in front of him, so he greeted them eagerly after closing the door and leaving the food trays over the table.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come, Midorimacchi. I believed I’d only get to see you until…” Midorima stood up as quick as thunder and slapped his untaped hand against Kise’s mouth to shut him up. Kuroko and Momoi eyed at each other, worried, but Takao  just laughed out loud and pulled from Shin-chan’s jacket so that he’d sit down again and let go of Kise’s neck.

“Please, don’t say another word about that.” The greenhead said and glared daggers at him. Kise just laughed and nodded once.

“They’ll eventually find out, Midorimacchi!”

“I’m well aware, I just hope it remains a secret until then.” He had a deep frown on his brow, and Takao could only pat his back in hopes of calming him down. The shorter boy wondered if he should be doing something rather than just relying on Midorima fixing the problem on his own. He’d think about it, depending on how things went next week.

Kise suggested they got started as soon as possible, since nobody else would be joining them and they had to make very good use of their time on the rented room. Aomine was still bitter about being disqualified and refused to come. Murasakibara had to go back to his prefecture as soon as Yousen lost, and Akashi, on the other hand, after taking his crown back and placing first once again at the Inter-High, had to attend some personal matters with his father, no matter he had taken the golden medal, so he’d not be able to make it. Kagami, the newest addition to their band of merry folk, was unable  to come because he had to fix his grades before the next tournament. The old tradition of making fun of Kagami’s low IQ was still in place, as it had been for the past few years.

As Midorima remembered from all the previous birthday parties he’d had to -unwillingly- attend, Kise was the first one to take up the microphone to start the party. In this occasion, he was immediately followed by Takao, who was just as much of a hopeless happy idiot as Kise. The emerald-haired boy sighed, and so did Kasamatsu besides him. They both knew they’d be forced to sing and nobody would stop their annoying partners from trying. They shared a glance of understatement and Kasamatsu chuckled. Midorima simply smiled and watched his friends pick a western catchy song to sing in duet.

Just as he remembered from the previous parties, Kise showed off about his tone, but having being friends with Takao for three years made him feel completely certain there was no better singer in that room than him. Even if Kise tried to imitate his low, guttural tones, his voice had a higher pitch that made it impossible to copy Takao’s style.  It was quite shameful to admit, but Midorima enjoyed hearing him sing while they were studying or walking home together; at times he wondered why the hell had Takao not picked a musical club, instead of going for sports related activities.

“Woah! Midorimacchi had bragged so much about you being good, but I never imagined you’d be _this_ good, Takaocchi!” Kise said with admiration when the song finished and Momoi and Kuroko took the microphones from their hands. The girl had a  lovesick expression on her face as Kuroko chose a romantic ballad, not even noticing he was wreaking havoc with his friend’s imagination.

“Bragging, huh? Bah, it’s nothing! I just really love singing!” Takao said as he sat back down again and grabbed a slice of cold pizza. Midorima noticed his breathing was agitated, probably for singing with all his might at the top of his lungs. “Shin-chan always told me to shut up when we first met, but he’s even grown used to it nowadays.” He teased, while the taller boy crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“Hah, I bet he likes your singing, Takaocchi!”

“I do, as a matter of fact.” Midorima fixed his glasses and stole Takao’s still untouched slice of pizza from his hands. Takao rolled his eyes and grabbed another for himself right afterwards. Kise was used to their antics, but he didn’t expect Midorimacchi would compliment anyone other than himself, not even Takao. “Sadly, we do not share the same tastes in music.”

“Awww, Shin-chan, thanks.”

“I say you two should sing something together!” Momoi said once her song was finished and handed the TV remote and the mic to Midorima. He stared at the items with distrustful eyes. “I bet there should be some sort of song or genre you both like!”

“Nah, we’re too different.” Takao said nonchalantly, trying to help his friend. He knew Satsuki could be very pushy, but if he managed to drag the attention to himself, he could avoid Shin-chan from being bothered by her. “We like very different things and we usually never match on anything.”

“I do remember I liked some songs of that album you showed me like a year ago, though… I even learned to play a couple on the piano because of you… want to give them a try?” Midorima said as he grabbed the TV’s controller and browsed through the aforementioned album with steady hands. Takao looked at him, perplexed and wondered if the pizza had something on it that had poisoned his friend. Was he really willing to sing in front, of all people, Kise, Kuroko and Momoi?!

“Ah, come on, Shin-chan, you don’t have to…”

“Oh! I’d love to hear Midorin singing again!” Momoi said, clapping her hands in excitement again. Takao rolled his eyes, this girl was too pushy! Kuroko had an all knowing smile on his lips, and the hawkeye could feel his burning stare on the back of his neck as they waited for the song to load.

“I promised you I’d sing with you, didn’t I?” Midorima said with a stern look on his face, ignoring Momoi’s statement. “Wasn’t it one of your challenges? To do something I didn’t dare before?”

The others stared at them in confusion, but Takao ignored them for a while and refused to give them an explanation. It’d be impossible to explain their little game without turning it into something really awkward.

“Yeah… if you feel uncomfortable, please…” He could feel their stares moving back and forth from one boy to the other. Takao sighed, desperate. “Just pick a song, Shin-chan.”

After a few seconds, Kazunari was cringing so hard he believed he’d start crying anytime now.

_You had to go and pick a fucking love song,_ _right?_

Takao really loved that song, it was so sad and so full of yearning and hope… he loved it so much because it made him think of Shin-chan so much. It was almost ridiculous the green haired boy had been the one to pick it, it was most certain that it was not a coincidence. Takao retrieved the mic from Kuroko with shaky hand and he mentally slapped himself so hard he was almost getting a headache.

And they sang.

Midorima’s voice was deep, but it was surprisingly harmonious when it echoed on Takao’s voice on the chorus. He had taken the main role on their duet, showing his great talents once again. After a brief moment of avoiding eye contact,  they managed to get in synchrony without making it extremely awkward and Takao finally focused on the lyrics popping on the screen. Feeling his confidence bolting up as he reached the chorus, he began acting as if he was on stage in front of his spectators. He closed his eyes as he sang, not that he needed the lyrics anyway, because he knew the song by heart since a long time ago. In part, he didn’t want to open his eyes because Takao was afraid his audience might catch onto something if he looked at them directly. He was afraid to look them in the eyes because he bared his feelings when he sang, it was inevitable. He really loved it and it was impossible for him not to show his real self when doing it. What was amazing was that Midorima seemed to be doing the same.

 

_When I screamed in my hoarse voice_

_About that love that kept burning_

_The sign that I missed continued to sound_

_Can you hear the whisper back?_

 

When the song was over, there was an awkward moment of prolonged silence filling the rented room. Takao couldn’t help it, he had turned around and faced his friend around half of the song, and had stared into his friend’s eyes, just as Midorima had done the same. Kise stared with a silly smile, his jaw dropping slightly like an idiot. Meanwhile, Kuroko and Momoi exchanged smiles and clapped slightly, making Kazu uneasy. Even so, neither could deny it had been fun.

Kasamatsu a decided it was better not to stick his nose onto it, assuming  Takao must have been in some deep shit to get involved with those Teiko freaks for things to go this way. It was better to keep a sane distance from those weirdos, mostly if they gathered together. Having Kise around was more than enough. The thick and awkward silence was broken when Moriyama and Hayakawa took the microphones and let the issue go, Takao thanked them in silence.

Midorima might have seemed bothered, but had to admit he had been enjoying himself that evening for the first time since he was invited to Kise’s birthday celebration. The annual karaoke night Kise dragged everyone ever since they met had always been a pain in the ass, but this year it had been quite delightful. He could pinpoint what had been the main difference from the very begginging: it was because Takao had accompanied this time. He liked this new company, but he also managed to drag Kise’s attention to himself, since they were annoyingly similar in some degree. He feared for a minute they might be becoming close friends...  having to stand two annoying idiots at the same time more than once a year was impossible for him. He’d kill a man for being endlessly called ‘Midorimacchi’ and ‘Shin-chan’ at any minute.

Aftera few hours, Kuroko insisted he’d walk Momoi back home and they should be taking their leave. Kise’s friends decided it was time to move as well, since they had to catch a train to get back to their homes before midnight. However, Kasamatsu and Kise decided to stay, since the eldest boy’s new apartment wasn’t far away from there and he’d let his kohai crash there for the evening. The four of them stayed behind and ordered another round of snacks for the remaining hour of karaoke they had left. Midorima sighed as the waitress walked away with their order and insisted he needed a break to go to the bathroom and to take a breath outside. Kasamatsu stood up as well and walked out with him, as he decided he’d be paying the bill before Kise spent more money on junk food.

Now that they were left alone, Takao could not stop looking at the shit-eating grin Ryota had on his lips.

“Takaocchi, don’t you have something to tell me?- He said with a rough tone. -It’s been killing me since you arrived…”

“Don’t give me that look, Ki-chan.” He knew Kise no longer paid any mind to the nickname, now that Takao and Momoi called him that.  However, both noticed how Midorima’s skin crawled whenever Takao called him that with affection, perhaps out of jealousy. “I have nothing to say.”

“Ah, come on! Are you and Midorimacchi already…?” He said while making a couple of obsene gestures with his hands, the grin still on his face.

“Heavens, no!” Takao interrupted him before he could continue. He refused, blushing wildly and shook his hands in denial. Yet, he knew he had just given himself away with those silly gestures, but it was Kise he was talking to, so he might not be able to keep any details in secret if he knew how to make him talk. “We’re still just friends, we’ve not even… besides, I don’t think Shin-chan is…”

“Yeah, sure!” Kise exclaimed with a clear tint of sarcasm. “I don’t need you to tell me that, it’s kinda obvious you two _are_ together. I was just pondering whether Midorimacchi admits it out loud or not.”

“What are you even talking about…?” Takao tried to fend for himself, but truth was, Kise had hit the bullseye. He sighed and shook his head, hiding his eyes behind his palms. His vision was still slightly blurry from his injuries, but his hawk eyes were almost back to normal. He wished he’d gone blind, though, so he could stop noticing that stupid grin on Kise’s lips. “What gave me out?”

“Hmmm, well, I already knew it for more than a year and a half, but Midorimacchi should have already noticed about his feelings, right? All of us have already noticed something at some point… uh, you were aware of that, right?”

“Huh? what do you mean by _all_?”

_Oh god, Shin-chan was going to kill him._

Kazunari didn’t care if he had been too obviously in love with his friend, but he was scared everyone else thought it had been like that since the beginning coming from both parties involved. They all knew Midorima almost as much as him, it must have been a joke if they believed he’d be so easy to open up to anybody about his feelings.

“Oh, you know, Akashicchi, Kurokocchi, Momocchi… I’m not sure about the others, but Aominecchi saw him getting very aggressive against Makoto Hanamiya after the game while you were knocked out…” Kise recalled, browsing idly on the TV for more songs to play.

Takao felt cold for a while. What did he meant about Hanamiya? He didn’t want to ask Kise about it because he hadn’t heard anything about it up until then.Midorima hadn’t say a word about it since they finally reunited at the doctor’s office. What could have happened?

“Hah... I’m sure you’ve already betting money on whether I confess to him or not. You guys are jerks.” Takao laughed and Kise did the same.

“No, who do you think we are?! We’re just waiting patiently… but I did put a vanilla milkshake on Kurokocchi that you do it before going to college, though. Don’t let me down, Takaocchi.” Kise stared at him intensely and pushed Takao’s hands down with a gentle tug, so that they’d be looking at each other’s eyes for a second.

“Uh… Ki-chan?”

“Why are you trying to hide it, anyways? It’s not like Midorimacchi will hate you, whatever his answer is. I’m pretty sure he likes you back. I mean, nobody would look at you like _that_ if they’re not deeply in love with you.”

“Promise me you won’t tell a soul.” The mood had drastically changed, but if Takao had to be honest to shut Kise up, he’d have to be as honest as possible. Ryota liked honesty and franc challenges, he knew that very well. Kasamatsu and Shin-chan would probably come back anytime now, so he had to manage to buy his secrecy quickly. Kise simply nodded, and Takao stared, surprised. He didn’t expect it to be that easy. The dark haired boy closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. His silence obviously demanded an explanation.

“Well?”

“I’m waiting,  because Shintaro already knows… he… he knows he’s the person I care the most about. It’s just… I’m not sure how he feels about me yet. Contrary to what I’ve been doing for the past three years, I don’t want to push myself onto him, not in such a stupid manner. Not when his true feelings are on the line.”

Kise took air to answer excitedly, but the door flung open and Kasamatsu stood there, with Midorima right behind him. Both stared at their partners with concerned eyes, as their usually happy demeanor was nowhere to be found and they seemed to be deeply involved into a very serious conversation. Rivalry? Animosity? Disdain? No, those words didn’t seem to be on either of their dictionaries. They didn’t seem to be fighting, either.

“Ah, so glad you’re back! And you brought more soda! Thanks, Yukiocchi!” Kise said with exaggerated affection, letting the silly pet name he’d given Kasamatsu escape. Either of the boys had ever heard him call him that. Kise seemed to notice his mistake and immediately slapped his mouth shit, Takao just smiled cocklishly and shared a peevish stare with Shintaro.

Kise watched Takao’s smirk from the corner of his eye and berated himself for being such a careless idiot, but he did nothing to cover his mistake. He just shook it off and moved so that Kasamatsu could sit and continued their conversation. Kasamatsu kicked him to push him out of his seat to get more space and the older man sat in front of Takao He didn’t seempissed off at Kise’s silly nickname, but at his careless slip. Midorima shrugged off the situation and gently asked his partner to give him some space to sit besides him, and Takao complied his ace’s orders without complaining.

Kazunari and Ryota shared a glance for a while and then they both laughed like idiots.

W _ho is keeping things secrets now, huh?_

* * *

“Takao, were you fighting with Kise?” Shin-chan asked, clear concern in his tone as they made their way to the subway station. 

“No, it was nothing like that, Shin-chan. We just talked about some very rough theme and the atmosphere turned a bit somber. Don’t worry.” Takao wasn’t going to tell him the full details of their conversation, as they didn’t even finish their talk, but there was no use in lying to him anyway. “Why do you ask?”

“I do not enjoy you getting in trouble. Having you injured is worrying enough already." 

“Awww, you’re actually a worrywart! How cute!”

“Shut up, Takao.” He countered, pushing his glasses back up and rushing the smaller teen into the subway’s entrance. “I was merely concerned you’d get your ass handed to yourself again. Kise is quite proficient in making people angry and I know he’s got a mean punch.”

“Oh my god, tell me you’ve never fought with him!” It was Takao’s time to worry. “Shin-chan isn’t supposed to get into trouble!”

“No, you idiot. He got back at Haizaki on his own after Aomine told him what had happened during our first Winter Cup. As far as I know, Haizaki ended up with a broken nose and two black eyes.” Midorima said with a stern voice and thanked Takao for paying both of their tickets this time, just as they had accorded.

“Oh… talking about Aomine,” Takao remembered,  “Ki-chan mentioned he saw you talking with Hanamiya.”

Takao’s tone had changed once again, and even though his concern was still heard in his voice, there was a tint of anger Midorima could not ignore.

“Nothing happened.”

“Be honest with me. What did you tell him?” Takao had grabbed his wrist, and though Midorima tried to pull away at first, he welcomed his touch just some seconds afterwards. He held onto Takao’s hand for awhile and felt the shorter teen’s body hear rise as he blushed slightly. He understood it was a way for his friend to cope with the information he might be about to speak out loud about what happened a few weeks ago.

Before speaking, Midorima pushed him inside the wagon, which had no further than three passengers  on it. They sat in front of each other, pretty far away from any other person with prying ears. As far as Takao was concerned, Shin-chan would most likely keep the conversation he had with Hanamiya a secret. Now that the cat was out of the bag, however, he had no choice but to tell him about it, in hopes Takao would not overreact and make a scene out of it. He knew better, though, fate was not as kind; Takao was definitely going to make a scene, no matter what, so he’d better deliver the information to him carefully. The bespectacled teen sighed and fixed his position, leaning closer to Kazunari’s seat.

“Hanamiya wanted to... _talk_ with you after the match. I caught him trying to get into the doctor’s office and I assumed he had very bad intentions in mind and I stopped him. He had said he wanted to congratulate you on your leadership and the like, but truth to be told, I didn’t trust any word he said. So… I confronted him.”

“You… you what?!” Takao’s eyes widened. On one side, he was thankful,  but the other one scared the living hell out of him. He was thankful Shin-chan halted him, because his intentions would have most likely been those of harm. However, he couldn’t grasp what had Shin-chan done to stop him.

“I barely stopped him before he got to you. I was pissed off and injured enough, having him doing anything else got my blood boiling. I asked Inazuma to come with me to the doctor right after the match was over and we found him roaming around the hall. So… I stopped him and we exchanged words for a while.” Midorima admitted, as if it was nothing. Yet, Takao’s surprised eyes kept staring back at him.

“Y-you stood up for me?” The yearning in his voice almost made Takao not recognize himself, but Shintaro thought it was kind of endearing to hear him so vulnerable. Midorima nodded and closed his eyes, a light blush on his cheeks. “Why?”

“He had already done enough to you… and to the rest of us as well. I- I couldn’t let him worsen your condition, the team needs you after all. It is known he does not like getting his hands dirty, but befriending Haizaki in college was definitely not a good influence for him.”

Kazu felt a shiver run down his spine. He paused his fantacious thoughts about Shin-chan acting like a knight in shining armor when he noticed the situation could have turned for worse.  What would have happened to his injured eyes and body if Shin-chan wasn’t there on time? Maybe he wouldn’t be able to sing, or walk or even look at Shin-chan’s face anymore…

“He didn’t hurt you, right?” Takao asked, that was the only true concern that surfaced through his thoughts.

“Ah, just the split lip. Inazuma had to hold me back because I might have retaliated and that wouldn’t have been good for either one of us.”

“Of course not, Shin-chan’s a lover, not a fighter!” Takao laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“Shut up, Takao” He answered, annoyed. “However, Aomine was around on a bathroom break and he overheard. So, Hanamiya got off his cloud when he saw he had the loosing end.”

“Oh my god, Shin-chan! he could have done something worse to you! Don’t worry me like that!” Takao said, holding his friend’s wrist with concern. Midorima seemed as calm as ever and held his friend’s hand to ease his worry.

“I was scared.” Midorima admitted, glancing away in embarrassment and his lucky item clenched on his other fist. “It really terrified me he could do something to you.”

“Shin-chan…”

“Just as we suspected, it is one of my triggering conditions… watching you in peril and being unable to help you. I felt so close to the limit both on and off the court it was driving me insane.”

“Hah…” Takao laughed, hanging his head with frustration. “What’s gotten into my sweet _tsundere_ Shin-chan nowadays?” If Takao had told his younger self that Shintaro Midorima would be standing up for him like this three years in the future, he’d have laughed at himself. “You’ve really changed, you know? Sometimes I wonder why, though”

“I think you know the answer… do you need me to tell you?”

“No” The dark-haired boy said with a sigh, glancing away this time. “Just as you’re not ready to say it, I think I’m not ready to hear it yet, Shin-chan.”

The older boy chuckled and tightened his grasp on Takao’s fingers before letting him go. Kazu felt his heart skip a beat and he held his breath for a moment, a shock ran through his back down to his finger, where he felt the phantom traces of the other’s hand. He wished he’d told lies to Kise that evening, but he had said nothing but facts. There had been so many opportunities laying right in front of his eyes to be taken, but he could not jump into the void without taking several things into consideration. He had to keep waiting. None of them were ready to push each other towards the next step of their strange relationship. Just as the stations passed and they got closer to home each time, Takao began to wonder if it wasn’t Shin-chan who was taking him out of his own self-constructed comfort zone and not the other way around, as his hands shook with anxiety and anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The shameful photo session, Kise is godsent at this point, and Midorima discovers he can actually be kinda sexy(Takao approves of this).


	16. A terrible idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Modeling || Regrets || Walking out of the confort zone on Shin-chan's own two feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in less than five days, I think that's a record. I've been getting home quite early and I got some motivation to wrap this up. Let's hope I can get it on like this for the entire month and we'll be finished in no time!
> 
> For this chapter, I greatly reccomend you to listen to some Ivy Levan or Devil Doll, as they were my soundtrack while doing the translation. Also, perhaps I heard Vouge by Madonna way too much back when I was writing the chapter.
> 
> Please enjoy, hope to see you soon.

This wasn’t a good plan. Takao’s schemings always ended badly, but this time it had been his own proposal and it was even worse. He had let himself be dressed by his partner as if he were an old mannequin, but fortunately Takao had a sharp taste with clothes and he didn’t look half bad. He cursed under his breath, he even let him decide on how to style his hair for this stupid photo session and Midorima had to admit Takao had done one hell of a job. Midorima wondered just how the hell would any of it turn out for good if he was so fucking nervous and annoyed, and they hadn’t even arrived to the studio yet.

Misaki Kise, Ryouta’s elder sister, was supposed to pick them up on Chiba’s train station ten minutes ago, but the woman in question had not arrived on time, as to be expected of Kise’s family. Midorima remembered them quite fondly, but he couldn’t deny Kise’s sisters were just as flamboyant and exuberant as their younger sibling, thus they were not his favorite group of people in the world. They were just… too loud. 

A couple of minutes after the accorded hour, a bright red Corvette made itself present on the street, and Midorima knew his ride straight to the gates of hell had finally arrived. The blonde woman at the wheel rolled the crystal down and greeted the two boys with eagerness, recognizing the green haired teen immediately. Midorima did the proper introductions, and Misaki flashed an all-knowing smile at Takao. Either of them quite liked the gesture. 

“Ryou-chan said one of you was going to be our model for tomorrow, but I dare say you’re both really good looking, thus very apt for the job. How’s about trying it together, eh?” She asked as she started the car again, after they had gotten inside. 

“Together?” Takao asked. He didn’t like the ring of it. Just what did Kise tell her? She wasn’t acting normal, for someone he had just met.

“Yeah! There has been an increasing request from the editors to get two male models on the cover. I believe this month’s edition is celebrating the growing LGBT Community here in Japan or something between those lines…”

“Let me stop you there, Misaki-san!” Takao almost screamed, embarrassed. He placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from uttering another word, because he believed Shin-chan would have pounced out of the car if the woman opened her mouth again. “W-we’re not together or anything! I came here to cheer on Midorima because he gets really anxious! We would not be doing this if we didn’t need the money!”

“Oh!” The attractive blonde blushed and smiled devilishly. “ I’m sorry! When Ryou-chan told me Midorimacchi would bring his partner, I assumed… I’m so sorry!” 

In part, Takao knew she didn’t feel not even a bit of remorse, because she was laughing about it so nonchalantly Takao didn’t believe his ears. In some twisted way he also found it funny, because he’d never been bothered by those kind of assumptions -after all, he’d kill a man to make them become true- but he hated when Shin-chan grew bothered. Sure, Takao liked annoying him to no end and pushing his buttons more than anything else, but he got pretty overprotective when other people bullied his dear friend.

“Takao, this isn’t going to work.” Midorima muttered softly, but coldly. Behind her dark lenses, Takao noticed Misaki was staring at them on the rearview mirror. 

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, Shin-chan, but we need the money. Do you want me to try it instead? I think I’m far more comfortable on my own skin than you’re on yours, anyway.”

“N-no… I’ll give it a try.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, remember this is not one of my silly challenges, ok? If you want to step back, just say so. I’ve got your back!” He flashed an encouraging smile and rubbed Midorima’s shoulders with concern. He was dying of worry, thinking perhaps this was his fault for pushing Midorima into overexerting himself with their little game. If everything turned out for the worst, Takao was sure Shin-chan would resent him for the rest of the season and that would not be good for either one of them or their team. Moreover, he’d not stand being hated by Shin-chan.

In just a few minutes, they reached the studio. It was crowded with models, editors and photographers, but Misaki directed them to her office, where Kise was waiting for his sister patiently. The manager greeted her baby brother with a kiss on the cheek and handed him an envelope with new documents for him to sign, possibly more future session contracts for him to consider. Kise was as happy as ever and he welcomed them with a very warm and tight hug. His face turned into an exaggerated grimace the next second as he opened the package, and he proceeded to explain in a very loud voice the cause of his discomfort.

“Zunion Boy no longer wants me as their poster kid!”

“Well… yeah, you’re not precisely a boy anymore, Ki-chan.” Takao retorted and appreciated the many changes on the Small Forward’s appearance over the three years they’d known each other, present on the posters behind Misaki’s desk. 

Even if he still had his youthful looks and a healthy and toned physique, his body had grown into that of a young adult a lot more muscular and mature than that of a young boy like those the magazine portrayer. It was worth to notice that Kise was just a few months of becoming of legal age himself. The same changes had happened to him, to Shin-chan, and everybody else from their select and colorful group of friends. Perhaps it did make a greater impact on Kise’s career as a model.

“Yeah,I know, but… I still look nice, don’t I? I mean, why wouldn’t they hire me…?”

“Because you’re getting contracts for  _ Bachelor _ now, Ryou-chan, you’re not a child anymore!” Misaki interrupted him and asked the other two to sit down in front of her desk. “I assume you understand the same applies for you two… err… I mean, for you, Midorimacchi. The brief contract for tomorrow’s session is for an adult magazine…”

“Woah, woah wait! Adult magazine?!”

“Not that kind of adult magazine!” Kise laughed, explaining the publishing house from Zunion Boy ran several magazines and newspapers, classified by the demographic group they were aimed for. While Zunion Boy was considered a “teenage girl magazine”, Bachelor was actually a “young adult bachelorette magazine”.

“Interesting… so, no cute lights and pastel designs for Shin-chan, then?” Takao asked, perhaps a little more confident that Midorima would not hate him after this was over if his session was a little more mature and professional.

“No, absolutely. Actually, this month’s number is doing a special section on sportswear for athletes, that’s why Nee-chan agreed to take Midorimacchi request without doing a previous casting. We’ll both be featured on the same number, and the chief editor hopes I get to convince the rest of the Miracles too, for the upcoming numbers.”

“I see.” Midorima finally spoke and he took the folder Misaki had put on her desk right in front of him. 

The older woman left the office to give  them some time to think, but smiled mischievously at her brother. Takao would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying Shin-chan’s suffering as well. Midorima sighed as he inspected the contents of the archive and Takao eavesdropped over his shoulder. Things were going to be harder than anticipated, because, just as the contract stipulated, they expected the photoshoots to be quite… sensual. They didn’t ask for any nude photos, as both boys were still underaged, but some shirtless pictures on very provocative poses could be seen on the sketches inside the folder and Takao felt his heart sink just by imagining such pictures of his best friend.

“You know, nudes would get us more money, Shin-chan~” The opportunity was too perfect not to tease him, but he had to be cautious or his friend would end up throwing himself out the window. Takao was  quite insecure that, under the lines of the contract, he’d be able to cover his place for this session.

“Yeah, you wish.” Midorima answered and Kise chuckled.  

“Seriously, though, I think Takaocchi wouldn’t mind them.” Midorima stared at him with a mix of horror, disbelief and anger in his eyes. Then he turned to his partner, but Takao patted his back and shook his head, insisting it was alright. Kise knew, and he had promised to keep it a secret from everyone… or at least he’d try.

After a few minutes, Misaki returned and inspected some more documents with Kise, until Midorima finally spoke and took a decision he’d most likely regret. He signed the papers and they discussed the payment issues. Just as Kise had assured them, two or three of this shoots would get them more than enough money to pay for the summer camp, transportation for their last season, the production of their new uniforms and a few extra he’d righteously earned for himself. 

Kise’s sister  insisted on the collaboration between the two for another magazine, mentioning the paycheck was also good, but Takao refused and said it was Shin-chan’s time to shine. In truth, he didn’t want their awkward beyond-basketball-pseudo-relationship to be known to the public, even if it was on the cover of a stupid magazine.

The session would be the next evening, on saturday night. Acknowledging it’d be a very bad idea to go back and forth from Chiba to Tokyo just for this, the two siblings insisted on hosting them for the night as well. Reluctantly, the boys agreed and spent the evening at the Kise household, where Ryouta’s mother greeted them and prepared dinner for the four newcomers. 

Shiori-san looked just as Midorima remembered from four years ago, with very long and beautiful blonde hair, but bright blue eyes instead of the amberish orbs of her son. Back in the days in Teiko, it was almost impossible for all of their friends and classmates not to have a slight crush on Mrs. Kise, which bothered Ryouta to no end. Thankfully, Shintaro himself never had those terrible teenage hormones hit him like a wayward train until… much later. 

After a long and tiring evening of enjoying the Kise family company and playing video games with Kise until their eyes started to feel heavy, both boys decided to set up their room and call it a day.  Misaki lived at her boyfriend’s apartment, she just came by to have diner with her family, so she insisted they could take the futons and put them in her bedroom, if they didn’t mind sharing a girl’s room for the night.

Thankful, the Shutoku duo installed themselves and readied themselves to get some sleep.

“I still think it’s a terrible idea.” Midorima said, dressing himself in some spare clothes Kise had lent them to spend the night. “I do not have any knowledge on how to act…” 

The words seemed lost on Shin-chan’s lips, and Takao smiled.

“...sexy?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, then don’t. Think of basketball while you’re posing for the camera.” Takao shifted dramatically as he wandered around the room shirtless. “Think of facing your opponent as if they were about to steal the ball from you, just some seconds before you manage to get into position and make the perfect shot.” 

“You’re an idiot.” Midorima chuckled, entertained on Takao’s giddiness. “I… I may be passionate, but I believe I do not have the capacity of being… sexy.”

_ Shin-chan… shut up. What do you even know? _

“You will be fine! Just think of something that--- Hey! Why did Kise gave me this?” Takao was about to dress himself, but stopped dead on his tracks when he found out the shirt Kise had given him was the basketball uniform from Teiko.

“Must be because he was your size back then… or he’s mocking us, as always.”

“I don’t want to wear it!”

“Then sleep shirtless, it’s not like you’ve never done it before.”

“Shin-chan, the futons are very close to each other, you know we’d most likely be bumping against one another unintentionally, because I roll around the bed all night. I don’t want to bother you, so  I’d rather sleep clothed.”

“I don’t mind, personally. It’s not too hot and I can always push you out of your futon.” Midorima laid down and removed his glasses, too tired to pay any mind to Takao’s whining.

“N-no, I’d rather… ugh, it’s terrible. It makes me feel so awkward, I hated this uniform for far too long to be wearing it now.”

“It looks good. I like how it fits you” Midorima mumbled against the pillow and looked at him half-heartedly. He could barely see his blurry silhouette, but he wasn’t lying. “Now shut up and go to sleep, please.”

“... looks good?” Takao doubted for a second. He pulled from the hem to try to cover his bare legs “D-do you like it?”

_ Oh, fuck.  _

“Takao, I don’t even have my glasses on, just go to sleep.”

“Just answer me.”

“... it’d look better on you if it was mine, not Kise’s.” He heard Takao gasp. He’d never actually flirted with anyone, but he believed that for being a first, it had the desired result. “Happy now? ”

Kazunari didn’t even say anything else. Midorima barely heard the sheets being pulled down and Takao getting inside his futon, but it was more than likely that his friend would not be able to get any sleep because his brain and heart would be racing like crazy. Satisfied with his achievement on silence, Shintaro smiled to himself.

* * *

 

“He’s too tense…” Misaki said the next evening, as the chief editor tried to make Midorima less stressed in front of the camera, ignorig the fact that this was his first experience and that he had gone through six changes of clothing already, two makeup sessions and now was sitting beneath three studio lights that burnt his eyes. So far, they’d only be able to take one of the ten photographs from the session, but time was running shorter with each minute that passed. If they didn’t do anything, it’d have been a waste of money and time. Being an experienced model, Kise’s shots were done in just half an hour and he was ready to go. He stood behind his elder sister with a shit-eating grin on his face. “I can see he’s completely a fish out of the water, right, Kazunari-kun?”

“Yeah… if this were just another sport magazine or even an interview he’d not have any trouble with it, he’s kinda full of himself, actually. But having him like this… ugh, I think it’s too much for Shin-chan.”

“I think I have an idea!” Kise popped up and grabbed Takao’s wrist, dragging him to the center of the studio. Midorima stared at them with estranged eyes. “We’re going to need your help, though. Have you ever used a professional camera?”

“Uh… yeah, many times. My dad is a journalist, so he’s taught me how to use them but… wait, what are you...?” Kise waved the photographers off and appreciated the boys’ confused stares for a while, specially Takao’s sudden panic when the blond put the camera on his hands and placed him right in front of his friend. 

“Listen, guys. We’re losing precious time here, we need to get this done in one hour or they’ll throw us out. Midorimacchi, you’ve already memorized the poses, but they do not look natural. Our mistake was assuming you’d dare to to this infront of anybody, so he’ll be in charge of aiding you,. Takaocchi, if you need help with the camera just ask me or my sister, we’ll be right next door. I’m gonna ask everyone to give you some privacy so that you can make the shots, ok?”

“Of course it’s not ok! What the f…?!

“What are you even talking about, Ki-chan?!” Takao interrupted before Midorima could keep insulting him. As the scene happened, he noticed everyone had walked out of the room.

“Ah, you know? That Midorimacchi is really chill when he’s around you. If anyone can get him to loosen up, it’s you, Takaocchi.”

“This _ was _ a terrible idea, indeed.”

“No, I think it’s actually great!” Kise retorted and smirked mischievously. Both men looked back at him with spite. Kise sighed and rolled his eyes, but he kept smiling. “Whatever’s going on between you two needs to settle down sooneer than later, you idiots! So take this as a chance to do so, please!”

“How the hell do you even expect us to take a chance in all of this, Kise?!”

“You tell me, Midorimacchi. If Takaocchi is the one with the camera, you have to  _ seduce him,  _ not the other cameramen who you don’t even know their name. I know you’re very close, but I can assure you have never tried taking things further, into something physical.” Takao and Midorima blushed deeply, looking away from each other and from Kise. Of all people who had to find out about this, it had to be him, the most obnoxious and nosy idiot out there… “Your silence makes me suppose you haven’t. Then, I’ll leave you to it.”

Kise left without expecting an answer, but Midorima swore he saw him skipping happily on his way out. The two of them stood there, looking like idiots with a very open chested shirt and a reflex camera pointed to the ground. Takao seemed like he wanted to talk, but words didn’t come through his lips even if he tried. Midorima sighed and walked back to his seat, closing his eyes in frustration.

“Let’s just get this over with. I can’t do it and I’m not even sure you can wield that thing correctly.”

“Actually, I’m really good with it. My dad has taught me quite a lot and the hawkeye helps me get a mental picture really fast.” Takao retorted, but couldn’t dare to look at him in the eye. “But this is obviously too much. Shin-chan, let’s just… let’s go home. We’ll call it off now and we’ll manage to get the money some other way.”

“Takao,  we don’t have the time.”

“I’m aware. But we can find another answer…”

“No. Let’s do this. Otherwise everything would have been for naught. Our efforts, our practice, your challenges… no, we can’t give up... I’m so tired of always being the one dragging the team down because I’m impossible to deal with.” His voice was hoarse and rough, which stranged Takao just enough to glance up at him. Midorima was buttoning up his shirt and removed his glasses for a short moment, to squeeze the bridge of his nose so he could prevent a headache. “We’ll do it the only way I know it’s going to work.”

“What do you mean? You’re losing me, Shin-chan.”

“Dare me.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me. Challenge me into doing… that.”

Takao laughed with a low voice, but his friend noticed it was a fake smile. He was falling in despair slowly, and Midorima knew he usually behaved like this when he felt his jokes and his mocking had been taken way too far. He was placing all the blame n himself, bearing the whole incident on his shoulders. Shintaro wouldn’t take it: for once, this had been his own stupid idea and Takao didn’t have anything to do with it. If someone had to deal with the consequences of his actions, it was him.

“Come on! You can’t even put it into words without dying a little inside. You cannot… no, we cannot do it. I don’t care if Kise thinks it’s a good moment for us to… think things through, this isn’t the way to handle things.”

“Takao…”

“I told him I didn’t want to rush anything, and yet here we are, and you’re asking me to do a stupid challenge out of it. It’s all a fucking joke, isn’t it? For both of us… this… thing between us, it’s so stupid.”

“Would you shut up already?” Midorima said calmly, but he was about to lose his temper. He signaled the raven-haired boy to step a little closer and Takao did as ordered. “I dislike the idea just as much as you do, but we  _ need  _ to do it.” 

He paused for a moment and breathed deeply, closing his eyes to think on what to say next. 

“I’m not talking about the money, Takao.”

“Eh?”

“I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

“No, I don’t get it. What is this all for, Shin-chan? Everything’s fine just the way it is, I mean, it’s just so stupid. Kise’s idea is stupid.”

“Listen to me for a second.- He begged with calmness. “In our years together, our relationship has reached a point where it keeps me safe, probably as a defensive mechanism I’ve crafted. When we’re together, whether as friends, or as partners, I’m Inside this comfort zone you like to ramble so much about.”

“Oh.” Takao nodded, he understood his point a bit better.

“If we keep waiting like idiots, nothing will happen. It’s not that you’re forcing it or you’re rushing it, and I truthfully thank you for that. But if I do nothing to get out of my safe place, I’ll stay stuck there forever. For you… for us… I don’t want that.”

“Then… then let me help you. I can do this for us.”

“No.” Midorima shook his head and blushed wildly, removing his eyes from Takao’s immediately. “I want to give the first step on my own. Kise just said it, we’ve never… anything physical. It scares me.”

“ T-then... do it, Shin-chan, I dare you. If this will help, do it.”

“Say it, Kazu.” Takao glanced away and covered his mouth with his hand, to avoid a nervous and silly grin.

This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening. Not on a photographic studio, not 10 feet away from another one of those annoying Teiko miracles. Not for saving his basketball team from financial ruin. Not while Takao held a professional camera in hopes of selling inappropriate images of his Shin-chan he had dreamed so much about in the past. Yet, temptation and a wild imagination made Takao’s common sense shut down for a while. Temptation and a wild imagination made his mind shut down for an instant. He had no control over his tongue anymore, and unbeknownst to his better judgement, he had already gripped the camera and played nervously with the lenses as he walked slowly towards Shintaro and dangerously sat down atop of his legs, focusing the lens on an open, upper angle.

“Seduce me, Shintaro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shin-chan makes a decision and Kazu can't wait for it.
> 
> (I shall leave the photoshoot to your imagination. There are some juicy flashbacks, but I decided to leave that up to you. If by any chance enough people want me to write that part... I may do so in some time.) 
> 
> Ah... if you have the time, look up at the photo session from the movie Blow Up by Michaelangelo Antonioni. That's where the idea came from, and the movie is really good. See ya!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment because the author needs validation!  
> (Haters will be sold to the circus).


End file.
